HRD Minister Smriti Irani (File photo)
A group of four opposition lawmakers has written to President Pranab Mukherjee, alleging that the Rashtriya Sevak Sangh and the Ministry of Human Resources Development headed by Smriti Irani are systematically damaging the IITs and institutes of higher education in the country.
The lawmakers have asked for the intervention of the President in the matter.
"The role of the HRD ministry and its minister is to lay down broad policy and to ensure adequate funding and not to interfere in or systematically erode the processes that govern the functioning of these institutions," said the letter, signed by the parliamentarians from the Congress, Janata Dal (United) and the Left.
"We call upon the Honourable President to exercise his wisdom and prevent lasting damage to some great institutions such as the IITs and Universities of eminence," it added.
The letter gave various instances of what it called "RSS interference" in higher education. Without taking any name, the letter cited instances of an IIT Director, a vice chancellor of a central university and a distinguished scientist being subjected to "humiliation and harassment".
The letter was signed by Rajiv Shukla, D P Tripathi of the Congress, KC Tyagi of the Janata Dal United and CPI's D Raja.
The HRD ministry has been in the eye of several controversies over the last eight months.
These include the rollback of the four-year undergraduate programme in Delhi University and the subsequent resignation of vice chancellor Dinesh Singh, the replacement of German with Sanskrit as the third language in Kendriya Vidyalayas and asking educational institutions to work on Christmas - bringing on opposition charges of saffronisation of education.
In December, IIT Delhi director RK Shevgaonkar quit two years before the completion of his term, triggering another controversy. The government denied reports in a section of media that he was pressurised to quit.