New Delhi (PTI): The Opposition BJP on Tuesday attacked the Government for promulgating an ordinance for setting up of 12 Central universities less than a month before Parliament was scheduled to meet for the current session.

"Ordinance was unnecessary and improper", BJP member Bal Apte said in the Rajya Sabha moving a resolution disapproving the Central Universities Ordinance of January 15. Taking potshots at HRD Minister Arjun Singh, he said the Minister even laid the foundation stones of two Central universities even before the Bill is passed. He said while the number of Central universities could rise, the quality may fall.

Criticising Aligarh Muslim University's move to set up a branch in Kerala, he said the government should stop "communal approach to education".

Ram Prakash (Congress) and Matilal Sarkar (CPI-M) stressed that the quality of education should not fall with the setting up of more universities. Brij Bhusan Towari (SP) urged the government to make an announcement on setting up an IIT at Varanasi.

Earlier, BJP members led by Ravi Shankar Prasad demanded that HRD Minister Singh should be present to reply to the debate."It is becoming his habit" not to introduce the bills himself, they charged.

However, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs P K Bansal said his colleague D Purandeshwari, the Minister of State for HRD, is a competent minister.