'No one except Maharashtra': BJP tells Uddhav govt to avoid politics over UGC's decision

As the Shiv Sena-led Maharashtra government stated its position on the UGC guidelines for conducting the college examinations, Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Devendra Fadnavis has slammed the party and said that it should not be made an "ego" issue. Speaking to reporters on Thursday evening, Fadnavis opined that for the well being of the students, Maharashtra government should not politicise the issue. 

Fadnavis also claimed that no state has raised objection to the guidelines, except Maharashtra. However, West Bengal's Principal Secretary of the Department of Higher Education and School Education Department urged Centre to re-examine the matter in the interest of the physical and mental well-being of students. Congress MP from Tamil Nadu Manickam Tagore also condemned the decision.

The University Grants Commission (UGC) issued revised guidelines for conducting final year examinations in universities and colleges after the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) gave a nod to conduct examinations during the Unlock period, even as Coronavirus cases are on the rise.

The former Maharashtra CM Fadnavis said: "Some ministers in the state government are opposed to holding university examinations in view of the coronavirus pandemic. Guidelines of the University Grants Commission (on holding exams) are not for one state but for the entire country. So the Maharashtra government should not make it a political ego issue. No state has raised objection to these guidelines except Maharashtra. If other states conduct exams and we don't, then what will be the value of degrees (conferred on the basis of earlier semesters' scores) by educational institutes in Maharashtra."

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Maharashtra COVID count

Maharashtra on Thursday reported 6,875 fresh cases of COVID-19, taking the overall tally of confirmed cases to 2,30,599. The death toll rose to 9,667 after 219 patients succumbed to the illness. The number of recovered patients jumped by 4,067 in the same period to reach 1,27,259. As of July 9, there are 93,652 active cases in Maharashtra.

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'Not possible to hold examinations': Maha minister

His remarks came two days after Maharashtra minister of technical and higher education Uday Samant said that he has written to the HRD Minister urging him to make the UGC guidelines on conducting the examinations as 'advisory' and not 'mandatory.' He has also said that it will not be possible to conduct final-year exams at universities by September-end amid the surge in COVID-19 cases in Maharashtra. 

Speaking to PTI, Samant said, "If the University Grants Commission (UGC) insists on conducting the examinations, then it should also issue proper guidelines for the same. I have written to the UGC and HRD minister, informing them that it would not be possible to hold the final-year examinations in Maharashtra by September-end in view of the Covid-19 situation."

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'No rift in MVA'

Meanwhile, as cracks in MVA government emerged after former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi triggered a row by attempting to distance Congress from the Coronavirus situation in MVA-led Maharashtra, Shiv Sena has asserted that all is well within the ruling alliance. Exuding confidence that the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government will complete its full-term, Sena dismissed the rumors about the rift and opined that they are being spread to project BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis as a 'strong opposition.' Terming the meeting between NCP supremo Sharad Pawar and CM Uddhav Thackeray as 'etiquette', the editorial has said that the disagreements among the ruling partners exhibit the 'liveliness' of the government. Sharad Pawar also ruled out reports of fissure within the MVA. 

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