The Hindu : Kerala News : Oommen Chandy for consensus on Bill

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Sunday, Jul 09, 2006

Kerala

Kerala

Oommen Chandy for consensus on Bill

Staff Reporter

PALAKKAD: Leader of the Opposition in Kerala Oommen Chandy said a consensus should be reached among the Kerala Government, college managements and political parties on the functioning of self-financing colleges.

Talking to reporters here on Saturday, Mr. Chandy said both the Government and the college managements should make compromises on the issue, as it affected the future of thousands of students and the higher education sector.

Mr. Chandy said the Opposition United Democratic Front (UDF) stood for 50 per cent seats on merit and 50 per cent in management quota.

This was the stand taken by the previous UDF Government led by A.K. Antony.

However, the LDF, which had earlier opposed management seats, has now sanctioned 30 per cent management seats in the new Bill.

"They do not want to call it management seats; hence 15 per cent seats are for NRI quota and 15 per cent privileged seats," he said.

Mr. Chandy said there should not be any differentiation between the minority and majority communities in running self-financing educational institutions. He said though 50 days in office was too short a period to assess the performance of the Government, Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan who had raised a number of issues, including the Kiliroor sex scandal, illegal sandal tree-felling, pollution by steel re-rolling mills, encroachment of forests, among others, when in the Opposition, did not seem to give priority to these issues while in office.

Charge against LDF

Staff Reporter adds from Malappuram: Mr. Chandy accused the Left Democratic Front (LDF) of cheating the People's Democratic Party.

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