Union HRD minister Smriti Irani rejects charges of saffronising education

NEW DELHI: Defending her decisions as Union Human Resource Development Minister — from scrapping of Delhi University’s Four Year Undergraduate Programme, the controversial run ins with IITs and appointments to various educational bodies – Smriti Irani on Monday rejected all charges of saffronisation assuring that her government was committed towards education, "within the limits prescribed by the Constitution".

She also said that her government was examining a proposal to increase the MP admission quota from six to ten in Kendriya Vidyalayas. As of now MPs can recommend as many as six admissions to KVs in their constituency. Replying in the Lok Sabha after a debate on the Demand for Grants for the HRD ministry, Irani took on Sugata Bose (TMC) and Sushmita Dev ( Congress) who had raised questions about the appointments made to the Indian Council for Historical Research.

She pointed out that even scholars like Purabi Roy, associated with CPI, and Sacchidananda Sahai, a close associate of Congress leader Santosh Mohan Devhave been appointed to the Council.