The Madhya Pradesh government has served notices to Devi Ahilyabai University, Indore, in connection with AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi’s visit o the campus earlier this week.
The Department of Higher education, Madhya Pradesh, has served notices to the vice-chancellor and registrar of the university demanding an explanation for Mr. Gandhi’s visit to the campus. The notices seek a reply from the university as to why Mr. Gandhi was allowed to visit the university and interact with students without prior permission from the state government.
The state government has served notice only to the university of Indore and not other educational institutions visited by Mr. Gandhi. According to sources, other institutes visited by the AICC general secretary were either private-owned or under the control of the Government of India., while the Devi Ahilyabai University is a statutory university under the control of the state government.
The state Congress has expressed its displeasure over the notices. “Why is the BJP government fiddling with the autonomy of the university,” state Congress spokesperson Arvind Malviya, told The Hindu . “Rahul Gandhi was invited by the university as a Member of Parliament and not as a Congress party member. I can assure you he did not ask any of them to join the NSUI or the Congress. It seems the state government is against the participation of students in the process of nation building,” he said.
He also said the state government was only panicking at Mr. Gandhi’s popularity and that surveys conducted by several local newspapers revealed that the students appreciated his interacting with them.
