Bengaluru, March 25 – The Karnataka BJP strongly objected to the Congress-led government’s decision to cancel an event organized by the Syama Prasad Mookerjee Foundation at the Karnataka State Open University (KSOU), alleging political interference in education and urging the government to reverse the decision.
Speaking to the media, BJP state president and MLA B.Y. Vijayendra said that such interference in the education sector reflects poorly on the state government.
He stated that the Syama Prasad Mookerjee Foundation had organized an international academic conference titled “Ekatma Manava Darshan” (Integral Humanism) at KSOU, and that Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan was scheduled to participate.
However, he alleged that the state government suddenly ordered the cancellation of the event and also issued a notice to the Vice-Chancellor.
He criticized this move as “politics of hatred” and said that the government was creating obstacles even for programs held in universities.
Referring to the hate speech bill introduced by the state government in Belagavi, he remarked that, in reality, action should be taken against the state government itself.
Vijayendra urged the concerned minister to rectify the mistake and allow the program to be conducted.
He alleged that the concerned minister had pressured the Vice-Chancellor to cancel the program, and that the state government's unnecessary interference in university matters was unfair.
He further called it “politics of hatred”, stating that the government was stooping so low as to create roadblocks for a program organized at a university.
Referring to the Karnataka Hate Speech and Hate Crimes (Prevention) Bill, 2005, introduced by the state government in the Belagavi session, he remarked that action would have to be taken against the state as well, and that interfering in the functioning of a university would not bring honor to the government.
When asked about the Congress party’s reported remarks that Syama Prasad Mookerjee was not a freedom fighter, Vijayendra said that the Congress party had its own opinions, even about Subhash Chandra Bose, and that it was not their opinion that mattered.
He added that the party and the government were creating unnecessary confusion in this matter, and demanded that the concerned minister revoke the decision.
He further alleged that the state government was spending excessively on advertisements and misusing taxpayers’ money to pay Congress workers, calling this unfair.
He said that when the state government's financial position was under stress and it was unable to pay government employees' salaries, wasting state funds was not right.
He urged the Chief Minister, who also holds the finance portfolio, to take the matter seriously.