Lucknow, Jun 20 (IANS): Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati said on Thursday that the move by the Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh to bring all private universities under one umbrella Act will lead to "anarchy and chaos".

Mayawati said that the state government was unable to provide security to the people of the state and the new ordinance on private universities was just a ploy to divert people's attention from core issues.

She said that the new ordinance would give more powers to the police.

The new ordinance, a draft of which has been approved by the state Cabinet, makes its mandatory for all private universities to give an undertaking that their campuses will not be allowed to be used for "any anti-national activity".

The ordinance says that universities will have to abide by the promise they had made during their foundation as per the law, that is, to "preserve the secular, democratic fabric and aspire for universal brotherhood and tolerance."

Private universities will also have to abide by the academic calendar as established by various controlling bodies.