Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav participated in a protest organised by Tamil Nadu’s ruling DMK, against the University Grants Commission (UGC) draft rules on Thursday.
The protest by the DMK students wing was held at Jantar Mantar, a few hundred metres away from the Parliament complex.
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The protest comes a month after the Tamil Nadu assembly on January 9 passed a resolution demanding that the Centre immediately withdraw the regulations. Barring the BJP, the resolution was supported by all parties, including NDA ally Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) and Tamil Nadu’s main opposition the AIADMK.
“The draft UGC rules are nothing but an attempt by the Union Government to usurp universities that state governments have built using their own resources and economic strength. The rules are against federalism,” Chief Minister MK Stalin had said
Addressing the protest, Gandhi said, “I have been saying now for some time that the aim of the RSS is the eradication of all other histories, all other cultures, all other traditions in this country. That is their starting point, and that is what they want to achieve. ”
Targeting the RSS, he said,” They attacked the Constitution because they wanted to impose one idea, which is their idea, one history, one tradition and one language on this country. This attempt that they’re doing with the education system of the different states is just another attempt to push their agenda… I wish that multiple protests like this happen because the RSS needs to be made to understand that they cannot attack the Constitution. They cannot attack our states. They cannot attack our cultures, our traditions, and our histories.”
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav said he supported the DMK and its student wing’s protest against the New Education Policy. ”Powers of the states shouldn’t be taken away…,” he stressed.
He said, “What is the way of becoming Vishwaguru if Indian citizens are being deported to India being handcuffed.”
“…Samajwadi Party supports this protest against the New Education Policy that the central government is bringing. Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the former PM, once said that if you keep supporting industrialists, one day will come when you’ll become the servants of industrialists. This New Education Policy is a conspiracy to give the universities to the industrialists… They want to take over all the powers of the state government.
”They want to make politics and politicians the servants of industrialists. We will never support the New Education Policy…,” he said.
