While the All India IIT-Faculty Federation and the IIT-Delhi Alumni Association has sought an appointment with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to “apprise” him of the situation that has arisen following the controversy over the proposed common entrance test, sources in the PMO indicate that the alumni members are unlikely to get an audience and would have to deal with the HRD Ministry before petitioning the PM.
A highly placed source in the PMO told Express that the issue of the common entrance was completely in the domain of the HRD Ministry, which is constantly monitoring the situation. “If the stakeholders in the IITs have any issue with the decision, they would have to first take it up with the HRD Minister. Before that, it will be very difficult for the Prime Minister to involve himself in the matter as that would amount to intervention in the functioning of a Ministry,” the source said.
Also, given the fact that the HRD Minister, Kapil Sibal, is on a tour to the United States, the PMO believes it would be highly inappropriate to interfere in the matter at this juncture. “Due process has to be followed. They would first have to meet the Minister,” the source said.
On June 6, the IIT-Delhi Alumni Association had requested for a meeting with the Prime Minister on the issue. This came on the backdrop of the IIT-Kanpur Senate passing a resolution disowning the proposed common entrance test and threatening to hold a separate entrance examination of its own if the proposal was not scrapped.