Hyderabad, Jan 26 (PTI) Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Sunday said he would see the draft UGC guidelines as an “attack on Constitution” and demanded that the Centre withdraw them.
Reddy, who said he is speaking to Chief Ministers of other southern states over the issue, vowed to put up a collective fight.
Reddy, who spoke after unveiling a statue of Ambedkar at the BR Ambedkar Open University here, also expressed strong dissatisfaction over the Centre allegedly ignoring the state government’s recommendations in the selection of Padma awards.
Though Ambedkar, the chief architect of the Constitution, had outlined in Constitution the subjects in state, Central and concurrent lists, the Centre was now trying to take away the existence of universities from the state in the name of amendments, he alleged.
The Centre is proposing to appoint vice chancellors of Telangana universities from Delhi but how would those in Delhi be aware of the realities in the state, he said.
There is a “big cultural attack and conspiracy” behind seeking to have control on universities in the state.
He said he has “coordinated” with CMs of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala and would soon like to talk to his Andhra Pradesh counterpart N Chandrababu Naidu as well.
“On the occasion of 76th Republic Day, I urge Prime Minister Narendra Modi. We will have to consider your attack and the UGC regulations you want to change as an attack on Constitution. You are thinking of carrying out an invasion on us. If you invade on our people, our states and our regions just because you have powers, it will not yield good results,” he said.
“We will collectively fight,” Reddy added.
Observing that the state government is not ready to give up on its rights, he sought withdrawal of the draft UGC guidelines.
Alleging that the draft UGC guidelines is an attempt to control the states, he said university staff and others should be ready to take up protests on the issue.
Launching a subtle attack on the BRS and former CM K Chandrasekhar Rao, Reddy said he himself and ‘others’ have not made any great sacrifices and only drew political benefit from Telangana statehood agitation.
It was the students of universities who always fought for statehood and they should debate the draft UGC guidelines now, he said.
If the Centre took away powers of states one after another, the states would be reduced to glorified municipal corporations who collect taxes for civic services, he said.
On the Padma awards announced by the Centre, Revanth Reddy said the state government felt bad that its recommendation of the names of folk singer and balladeer Gaddar, educationist Chukka Ramaiah, poet Ande Sri, poet and singer Gorati Venkanna, and poet and historian Jayadheer Tirumala Rao were not considered by the Centre.
Though he appreciates the Padma award to Manda Krishna Madiga, who fought for categorization of SCs, the Centre not considering the names proposed by the state amounted to hurting the people of the state, he said.
He said he would soon write a letter to PM Modi conveying the state’s dissatisfaction.
The neighbouring Andhra Pradesh got five Padma awards and Telangana should have got at least four, he said.