Rahul Gandhi accuses Government of plotting to abolish quotas in latest UGC guidelines

The Congress party has called for the withdrawal of the draft guidelines proposed by the University Grants Commission (UGC), asserting that they pose a threat to the reservation benefits for Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), and Other Backward Classes (OBC). Congress leader Rahul Gandhi labeled the UGC's draft as a conspiracy aimed at undermining social justice and eliminating the participation of marginalized sections.

Concerns over reserved posts and representation

Rahul Gandhi highlighted the alarming statistics, stating that out of 7,000 reserved posts in 45 central universities, 3,000 were vacant. He emphasized the low representation of Dalits, ST, and OBC members among professors, with only 7.1%, 1.6%, and 4.5% respectively. The Congress leader expressed concern that the draft guidelines could jeopardize the dreams of those seeking social justice.

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Government and UGC respond to criticism

The Congress's criticism follows the Union education ministry and UGC's clarification on Sunday, assuring that reserved category posts would not be de-reserved. The ministry emphasized adherence to the Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Teachers' Cadre) Act, 2019, stating that no reserved post should be de-reserved.

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Congress leader Udit Raj accused the deliberate withholding of professor posts to later de-reserve them and fill them with general category candidates. Rajesh Lilothia, heading the Congress's SC Department, criticized the government for simultaneously honoring leaders with the Bharat Ratna while allegedly undermining reservation policies in the country.