NEW DELHI, APRIL 3:Senior BJP leader and former human resources development minister Murli Manohar Joshi has demanded an academic and financial audit of Indian Institutes of Management to determine the rationale behind fixing of fees. He was reacting to the steep fee hike by the IIM, Ahmedabad.

Joshi told The Indian Express the IIM-A decision smacks of an attempt to make these institutions a preserve of the elite — “Of the elite, by the elite, for the elite.” He took a dig at the pro-poor rhetoric of the UPA and said: “Those who talk of inclusive growth should explain what they think of this move to make higher education exclusive to the rich. It is amazing that there is not even a whimper of protest from the supposedly pro-poor Left,” he said.

The BJP leader said autonomy in working is one thing, but working against the very objectives for which the state has created IIMs is just another. He said, “The IIMs are not fiefdoms of any board of governors.”

“In a country where the poor don’t have access to even school education, a fee of Rs 11 lakh is outrageous. People in the government to respond if they subscribe to the view that education in India is for profit-making,” he said.

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