Bengaluru, 14 March

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has clarified that a decision on the fate of new universities established in the state during the previous BJP government will be taken based on the findings of a cabinet sub-committee.

The committee, headed by Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, has been tasked with reviewing the status of public universities in the state. Siddaramaiah told the Legislative Assembly that the committee is yet to submit its report, and no decision has been taken on whether to continue or close the universities.

The issue was raised by BJP MLA and former Higher Education Minister CN Ashwath Narayan, who sought a discussion on the matter under an adjournment motion. Siddaramaiah assured that the government will not close any universities without considering the report of the committee.

However, BJP legislators questioned the Chief Minister's statement, pointing out that Deputy Chief Minister Shivakumar had earlier stated that the government would merge the new universities with their parent institutions. Leader of Opposition R Ashoka also expressed concern, stating that the Chief Minister's statement was different from what had been said by the Deputy Chief Minister and the Higher Education Minister.

The Speaker of the Assembly, UT Khader, suggested that the issue could be raised during the budget discussion, and Siddaramaiah also indicated that the matter could be discussed at a later stage. The Speaker later agreed to allow a discussion on the matter next week.