Noida (Uttar Pradesh) [India], January 28 : Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Kalraj Mishra on Wednesday criticised the newly notified University Grants Commission (UGC) guidelines, calling them "unconstitutional" while alleging that they promote "separatism" instead of ensuring equal opportunity for all students.
Speaking to ANI, Mishra said the new UGC guidelines should be inclusive of all sections of society and ensure that any student, regardless of caste or community, facing discrimination has the opportunity to file a complaint.
"We have demanded that the unconstitutional rules, which are based on caste discrimination, and which include OBCs, should be amended. I believe that all sections of society need to be included in this. If any student from any caste or community faces discrimination, they should have the opportunity to file a complaint, and I believe that everyone should be included in this process," he said.
Mishra further argued that the guidelines could encourage separatism. "I feel that the guidelines provided by the UGC will increase separatism and violate the fundamental rights of the Constitution, and therefore, it will be considered unconstitutional," he said.
Raising concerns over the absence of safeguards, Mishra demanded strict action against false complaints. "Secondly, we demand that punitive action be taken against those who file false complaints. Currently, there is no provision for punitive action. We believe that there should be such a provision," he added.
The BJP leader also called for broader representation in grievance redressal bodies.
"Thirdly, we demand that the grievance redressal committee, which has been designated as the Equal Opportunity Centre, should have representation from all sections of society. Furthermore, the committee's timeframe, scope, jurisdiction, and other details should be clearly defined," he said.
"We also met with a delegation today. We discussed all these points with them. We also met with Dharmendra Pradhan, the Education Minister," Mishra added.
This comes after new rules notified by the UGC on January 13, which update its 2012 regulations on the same subject, have sparked widespread criticism from general category students, who argue that the framework could lead to discrimination against them.
The new regulations, introduced to curb caste-based discrimination in colleges and universities, require institutions to establish special committees and helplines to address complaints, especially from SC, ST, and OBC students.
Meanwhile, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Tuesday sought to allay concerns over the new UGC regulations, assuring that the law would not be misused and that there would be no discrimination in its implementation.