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The primary point of contention involves the alleged sale of MBBS seats in government medical colleges for Rs 25 lakh each under a newly introduced “Management Quota” nomenclature
The BJP has alleged that seats previously reserved for local students at an affordable rate of Rs 1.5 lakh are now being sold at premium prices. (PTI)
The Karnataka government is facing intense scrutiny following explosive allegations from the BJP regarding the commercialisation of medical education and the diversion of university funds.
During a heated legislative session, BJP MLA Dr Bharath Shetty accused the state administration of “looting” the medical sector to address a perceived fund crunch. The primary point of contention involves the alleged sale of MBBS seats in government medical colleges for Rs 25 lakh each under a newly introduced “Management Quota” nomenclature, a move the Opposition describes as unprecedented in the history of the state.
Shetty emphasised that this shift marks a significant departure from established norms, claiming that seats previously reserved for local students at an affordable rate of Rs 1.5 lakh are now being sold at premium prices. He argued that such a practice has never been witnessed in any other state across India and effectively deprives merit-based local candidates of their right to subsidised education. While government sources suggest that only unfilled NRI quota seats are being converted into this management category, the BJP maintains that this is a tactical maneuver to generate revenue at the expense of the public education system.
The controversy further deepened as the Opposition highlighted the alleged diversion of Rs 1,000 crore from the Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS). According to the BJP, the state government has bypassed traditional budgetary allocations, instead syphoning Rs 550 crore for a new medical college in Kanakapura and Rs 450 crore for another in Bagalkote directly from the university’s reserves. Shetty warned that utilising the university’s internal funds for infrastructure projects would severely cripple its operational capacity and stifle vital medical research work.
Defending the government’s stance, Congress MLA Rizwan Arshad dismissed the charges as baseless and challenged the Opposition to produce evidence to support their claims of seat selling. Arshad argued that RGUHS, acting as a “mother institution”, is naturally positioned to support the expansion of medical infrastructure in other regions of the state. He further turned the tables on the Opposition, asserting that the BJP failed to construct new medical colleges during its own tenure and is now levelling “bogus allegations” to distract from the current administration’s developmental initiatives.
January 31, 2026, 14:55 IST
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