Bangalore, April 4 (PTI): Commerce minister Arun Jaitley today said the issue of the Indian institutes of managements’ fee cut was debatable but described fears of government interference in the prestigious institutions as “absolutely misconstrued”.

“I don’t want to get into the debate over the fee structure.... People have their own views,” Jaitley said at a meeting this evening with members of the Federation of Karnataka Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

“I find it is debatable that whether it (the fee cut) is to be done or not.... On the issue of (government) interference in future, I think this fear, it is absolutely misconstrued,” he said.

Jaitley said the government has been supporting the Indian institutes of technology and the IIMs for years without interfering in their activities.

However, the debate, going on over the IIM-fee cut, is welcome, he said.