NEW DELHI: Amid a controversy over renaming of the Dyal Singh (Evening) College as Dyal Singh Vande Matram College, the institution's chairman Amitabh Sinha today said the Delhi University is an autonomous varsity and the government cannot interfere in its administrative matters.
Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar had yesterday said the government would not allow the renaming and take action against the management committee of the college for going ahead with it without the ministry's consent.
In a press conference here today, Sinha said, "The DU is an autonomous university and therefore, the government cannot have a say in its administrative matters.
The HRD Minister should have spoken to me first to know the exact status before making such a statement.
" The college is affiliated to the Delhi University.
A controversy had erupted last year with various sections vehemently opposing the move to rename the college as "Vanade Matram Mahavidyalaya".
"When the first time I had a meeting with him (Javadekar), I had insisted that the issue be resolved by the vice chancellor and the governing body and he had shown interest then.
We found a midway and named it Vandemataram Dyal Singh College.
I don't know whether he is under some pressure or some arm-twisting tactics," he said.
The chairman insisted that in renaming the college, its administration had done noting wrong or outside the law.
"We have done whatever is necessary.
Students had put up banners with the new name in an annual function.
Though, the Delhi University is yet to take a final decision on it, the Governing Body (GB) is entirely capable of looking after the administrative duties and if the HRD minister believes a legal action can be taken for that then I welcome such a step," he added.
Javadekar had yesterday said, "We had earlier also asked them (the university administration) to reconsider the move.
We will not allow the college to be renamed.
If there are two Dyal Singh colleges, they can call them A and B or 1 and 2 to differentiate but the original name cannot be changed".