Foreign Universities Bill, a pet project of UPA, prioritised by Modi government

The proposal was first introduced in 2012 in the Rajya Sabha by the then Education Minister Kapil Sibal. Soon after which the Left-wing organisation objected strongly, alleging that sub-standard private foreign universities would be able to enter India once the education sector was opened up.

The proposal was then sent for study to a parliamentary committee and was never revived because the UPA did not appropriate numbers in Rajya Sabha to get it cleared.

"The contours of the bill will remain the same," said an official in the Education Ministry to a newschannel confirming that the proposed legislation has been shortlisted as a must-do for the ministry's first-100-days agenda.

But the Left says it will not support the bill. P Rajeev of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) reportedly said, "Our stand remains the same. We don't want inferior colleges to come in".

The Congress says that the focus on foreign universities proves that Mr Modi's government is helping itself to UPA polices and has no imaginative ideas of its own.

Former minister Sriprakash Jaiswal told to a newschannel that it is "easy to copy the policy" but said he doubts that the BJP will be able to deliver top foreign colleges even if the legislation is cleared by Parliament.