By L.S. Herdenia
BHOPAL:
Chief Minister Kamal Nath has ordered a high level enquiry into the sordid
affairs of Makhan Lal Chaturvedi National Journalism University. The enquiry
committee is headed by M. Gopal Reddy, additional chief secretary, and has
Bhupendra Gupta, public relations. officer on special duty in the office of the
chief minister, and Sandeep Dixit, former MP from New Delhi, as members.
The Indian Journalist Union and All
India Secular Forum had submitted a memorandum to the chief minister demanding
an enquiry into the affairs of the university. The memorandum claimed all-round
deterioration in the university’s affairs from the very day B. K. Kuthaiyala
was appointed vice-chancellor. Kuthaiyala was the blue-eyed boy of some
influential RSS leaders. His appointment was questioned because he did not
possess the required qualification to occupy the office.
During his nine-year term he
converted the university, named after the great freedom fighter and poet, into
an RSS institution. All its activities have been dictated by RSS ideology. He
appointed many such persons as teachers who themselves were RSS loyalists or
who were recommended by the RSS leadership. The curriculum of the university
was changed to conform to the RSS ideology. The V-C did not hesitate to remove
lessons related to Jawahar Lal Nehru. Most of the appointments were made while
ignoring norms listed in the university calendar.
The memorandum recalled that the IJU
and Secular Forum had raised their voice against the irregularities being committed
in the university. Besides holding a press conference, they also approached the
then Vice-President Hamid Ansari, who happens to be the ex-officio visitor of
the university. A delegation met him in Delhi. The Vice President gave a
patient hearing and promised to do the needful. But he simply forwarded their
memorandum to the Vice-Chancellor for action.
Before that a memorandum was also
submitted to then Press Council Chairman Justice (retired) Markanday Katju. He
also did nothing to improve the affairs of the university.
The enquiry committee constituted by
the state government has been asked to submit its report within 15 days. The
terms of the enquiry includes looking into all the appointments made after
2003, and enquiring whether these appointments were as per norms or not, as
well as studying the changes made in the curriculum to suit a particular
ideology and finding out how the norms of the University Grants Commission were
ignored to benefit persons of one particular organisaton. The committee will
also examine the setting up of teaching centers remote areas just to oblige
politically influential persons.
It may be mentioned here that the
chief minister is the chairman of the Maha Parishad of the University. But Shiv
Raj Singh Chouhan as chief minister played the role of a mute spectator of the
dirty affairs of the university.
Kuthaiyala in order to please
ministers and other BJP leaders established centres of the university at such
places that did not fulfill the criteria. It was nothing but a waste of
university funds. At some places buildings were taken on rent at higher than
prevailing rates. It is alleged that most of these buildings are owned by RSS
and BJP leaders. (IPA Service)
The post Kamal Nath Orders Probe Into Journalism University Affairs appeared first on Newspack by India Press Agency.
