Politicians lend support to protests against 4-year degree programme

New Delhi: Delhi University teachers and students who are protesting the introduction of four-year undergraduate system today got support from several political leaders and activists. CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury said he will raise issues related to the university in Parliament, while activist Aruna Roy said she was shocked at the manner in which administration has made a “mockery” of all institutional procedure and democratic norms in trying to muscle in the four-year programme. [caption id=“attachment_729183” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Sitaram Yechury. PTI[/caption] “A call attention motion has been submitted on the sorry state of affairs prevailing in Delhi University. Opposition parties will raise the issue in the current session of the Parliament,” Yechury was quoted as saying in a statement issued by ‘Save DU Campaign’. The campaign is being organised to oppose the introduction of four-year under-graduate course, which the protesters have termed “hurried and mindless”. Roy said, “The sovereignty of people is disregarded when, in matters like Higher Education, no effort is made to consult popular opinion.” O P Kohli (BJP), Agatha Sangma and P A Sangma (NCP), Mani Shankar Aiyar (Congress) and Prem Gupta (RJD) also sent their messages of solidarity for the Save DU Campaign, the statement said. “The Save DU Campaign will continue to take this issue to the public domain as we understand these ‘reforms’ as anti-people,” said Abha Dev Habib, a teacher of Miranda House. The students of Delhi University have also been collecting signature on petition addressed to the prime minister and organising demonstrations against the decision to introduce the four-year programme. PTI