NEW DELHI: Maintaining that the controversy over an art exhibition in Gujarat did not come as a surprise to him, Human Resource Development Minister Arjun Singh on Tuesday said the Centre did not have the ``right'' to intervene in the matter as the M.S. University, Vadodara, was under the State Government.

``There are certain things which are universal and freedom of expression is one of them,'' Mr. Singh said adding that in this case, this right has not been upheld ``holistically.'' ``It is a State university. I don't think we can comment on the issue,'' he said.

``The University Grants Commission [UGC] has tried to settle matters and sought a report on the issue,'' he told reporters on the sidelines of a book release function here.

Asked whether the Centre would intervene in the matter and seek the reinstatement of the dean of the university's Fine Arts Faculty, he said: ``Action cannot be presumed as of now. Let us first see the UGC report in the matter.''

When asked whether the issue had been raked up with the coming Assembly polls in Gujarat in mind, the Union Minister said: ``It can be seen only after the polls in Gujarat, who benefits from it.'' Mr. Singh further said that such incidents came as no surprise in a State such as Gujarat. ``It is not uncommon for such a thing to happen in Gujarat. It is a kind of pattern there.''

Earlier, releasing a book ``The Al Jazeera Decade'' on the success of the news channel over the last ten years, Mr. Singh said had it not been for the television channel's motto of independent news coverage, it would have ended up being another Arab network.

CPI-M Polit Bureau member Sitaram Yechury said: ``This channel has redefined TV media and set independent standards in journalism.''

The book traces the launch of the Al Jazeera and the path it charted out for itself in the fiercely competitive international media. — PTI

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