Pralhad Joshi seeks opposition cooperation in smooth conduct of LS session
Bengaluru, Jun 1: Seeking opposition's cooperation in the smooth conduct of the upcoming Lok Sabha session, newly-appointed Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi Saturday said the government was ready for discussion on any issue.
The first session of the 17th Lok Sabha will be held from June 17 to July 26, with the regular budget to be presented on July 5.
"I request all the opposition parties, people have given unprecedented mandate in favour of Narendra Modi and the BJP. For five years lets successfully conduct the sessions and discuss on issues.The government is ready for discussion on any issue," Joshi said.
Speaking to reporters on his visit to the city after taking over as minister, he said it is common belief that in the Lok Sabha there should be debates, discussions and not disruptions.
"So following the peoples mandate lets all work together- is our request to all the opposition parties. In the days to come we will call a meeting in this regard, so I seek their cooperation," Joshi said.
He pointed out that there are four ministers from Karnataka in the Modi cabinet and they would meet once in 15 days and discuss on Karnataka related issues and follow up.
"We want to protect the interest of Karnataka that's our decision," he said, adding that the big result to the BJP led by Modi was a huge responsibility, "as expectations of people are very high."
Karnataka Lok Sabha members-- Pralhad Joshi, D V Sadananda Gowda (Chemical and Fertilizer) and Suresh Angadi (MoS Railway) were inducted into the ministry Thursday, apart from Nirmala Sitharaman (Finance), who is a Rajya Sabha MP from the state.
Responding to a question on the Mahadayi river water issue, he said both the Karnataka and Goa governments have sought clarification and have appealed to the Supreme Court on the matter.
"... let Karnataka government call an all party meeting and legal experts, if they want notification, we will participate in it.
Legal experts, who had represented Karnataka, had earlier said since both states have filed an appeal, it cannot be done. But if experts say it is possible, lets try, we have no objection," he said.
Mahadayi river tribunal had delivered its verdict allocating 13.5 tmcft of water to Karnataka.
As all three riparian states (Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra) have sought clarifications from the tribunal on its final judgment and as states have also gone to the Supreme Court against it, the Centre has refused to notify the tribunals verdict citing legalities.
When pointed out that a BJP government was in power in Goa, Joshi said parties in the states would take a stand for their state.
Earlier, too, Congress governments were there at the Centre, at Goa and here, he said.
"The Mahadayi issue did not crop up after Modi came or Pralhad Joshi," he said.
Asked if the prime minister would intervene and solve the issue at this stage, Joshi, without giving any direct response, blamed the Congress for taking the matter to the tribunal.
The minister, who also holds the coal department portfolio, said there would not be any shortage in supply of coal.
"...there is minimum stock of 15-16 days everywhere, whatever demand comes that will be supplied," he added.
On a query that a report was submitted by a Congress leader to the party leadership alleging that the BJP had distributed money to win the Tumkur Lok Sabha seat, Joshi said the Congress should stop levelling such "wild allegations", especially after the people have rejected them in the polls.
Former prime minister and JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda faced defeat from the seat.
"What have they done (distributed money) in Mandya, Hassan, Bengaluru Rural and Tumkur? The people of the state know very well. Let us not talk about it. The people have already given the mandate and the time is now to work," he said.
On the Karnataka government, Joshi said, "We have told many times, we don't need to do anything. They will collapse on their own."
Asked what were the options for the BJP if the JD(S)-Congress government falls, Joshi said "There are many options. The BJP is the single largest party in the state. We will explore all options when the time comes, including going for fresh elections."
On AIMIM chief and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi's remarks that the BJP sees terrorists wherever there are Muslims, Joshi said it is inappropriate to link Hyderabad to Muslims.
"Why should Owaisi link Hyderabad to Muslims when our cabinet minister from Telangana, Kishan Reddy, referred to Hyderabad. He did not mention or target Muslims, but terrorists," he said.
Newly-appointed Union Minister of State for Home Reddy has reportedly alleged that whenever a terrorism-related incident takes place in the country, its roots are traced to Hyderabad. Owaisi criticised him for the remarks.
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Single higher education regulator bill tabled in LS; Oppn flags ‘centralisation,' JPC likely
New Delhi: A bill to set up a 13-member body to regulate institutions of higher education was introduced in the Lok Sabha on Monday.
Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan introduced the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, which seeks to establish an overarching higher education commission along with three councils for regulation, accreditation, and ensuring academic standards for universities and higher education institutions in India.
Meanwhile, the move drew strong opposition, with members warning that it could weaken institutional autonomy and result in excessive centralisation of higher education in India.
The Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, 2025, earlier known as the Higher Education Council of India (HECI) Bill, has been introduced in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
The proposed legislation seeks to merge three existing regulatory bodies, the University Grants Commission (UGC), the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), and the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE), into a single unified body called the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan.
At present, the UGC regulates non-technical higher education institutions, the AICTE oversees technical education, and the NCTE governs teacher education in India.
Under the proposed framework, the new commission will function through three separate councils responsible for regulation, accreditation, and the maintenance of academic standards across universities and higher education institutions in the country.
According to the Bill, the present challenges faced by higher educational institutions due to the multiplicity of regulators having non-harmonised regulatory approval protocols will be done away with.
The higher education commission, which will be headed by a chairperson appointed by the President of India, will cover all central universities and colleges under it, institutes of national importance functioning under the administrative purview of the Ministry of Education, including IITs, NITs, IISc, IISERs, IIMs, and IIITs.
At present, IITs and IIMs are not regulated by the University Grants Commission (UGC).
Government to refer bill to JPC; Oppn slams it
The government has expressed its willingness to refer it to a joint committee after several members of the Lok Sabha expressed strong opposition to the Bill, stating that they were not given time to study its provisions.
Responding to the opposition, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said the government intends to refer the Bill to a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) for detailed examination.
Congress Lok Sabha MP Manish Tewari warned that the Bill could result in “excessive centralisation” of higher education. He argued that the proposed law violates the constitutional division of legislative powers between the Union and the states.
According to him, the Bill goes beyond setting academic standards and intrudes into areas such as administration, affiliation, and the establishment and closure of university campuses. These matters, he said, fall under Entry 25 of the Concurrent List and Entry 32 of the State List, which cover the incorporation and regulation of state universities.
Tewari further stated that the Bill suffers from “excessive delegation of legislative power” to the proposed commission. He pointed out that crucial aspects such as accreditation frameworks, degree-granting powers, penalties, institutional autonomy, and even the supersession of institutions are left to be decided through rules, regulations, and executive directions. He argued that this amounts to a violation of established constitutional principles governing delegated legislation.
Under the Bill, the regulatory council will have the power to impose heavy penalties on higher education institutions for violating provisions of the Act or related rules. Penalties range from ₹10 lakh to ₹75 lakh for repeated violations, while establishing an institution without approval from the commission or the state government could attract a fine of up to ₹2 crore.
Concerns were also raised by members from southern states over the Hindi nomenclature of the Bill. N.K. Premachandran, an MP from the Revolutionary Socialist Party representing Kollam in Kerala, said even the name of the Bill was difficult to pronounce.
He pointed out that under Article 348 of the Constitution, the text of any Bill introduced in Parliament must be in English unless Parliament decides otherwise.
DMK MP T.M. Selvaganapathy also criticised the government for naming laws and schemes only in Hindi. He said the Constitution clearly mandates that the nomenclature of a Bill should be in English so that citizens across the country can understand its intent.
Congress MP S. Jothimani from Tamil Nadu’s Karur constituency described the Bill as another attempt to impose Hindi and termed it “an attack on federalism.”
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