Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav strongly criticized the New Education Policy (NEP), calling it a “conspiracy” to transfer control of universities to industrialists. Speaking at a protest organized by the DMK student wing in Delhi on Thursday against the University Grants Commission (UGC) draft rules, Yadav pledged his party’s full support for the demonstration, adding that they would never back the policy.
“We support this protest against the New Education Policy introduced by the central government,” said Yadav, echoing concerns raised by the DMK. He drew on a warning by former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who had cautioned that excessive support for industrialists could eventually reduce politicians to the role of “servants” to corporate interests. Yadav views the NEP as a reflection of this scenario, alleging that it seeks to hand over control of universities to industrialists and strip state governments of their powers.
“Vajpayee ji once said that if you keep supporting industrialists, eventually politicians will become their servants. This New Education Policy is a conspiracy to give control of universities to industrialists. They want to take all powers away from state governments,” he said, adding that the BJP government aimed to reduce politicians to “servants of industrialists.”
Yadav reiterated that the Samajwadi Party would never support the NEP and voiced his support for the DMK Youth Wing’s protest. “We can never agree to this. I congratulate the DMK youth wing who have come all the way from Tamil Nadu. Even North Indian students will support you in this protest,” he said.
The protest also saw participation from Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) General Secretary Vaiko, and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was expected to join the protest later in the day.
Earlier, on January 9, the Tamil Nadu Assembly passed a resolution against the UGC draft rules, urging their withdrawal. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. K. Stalin, in his speech, called the rules an “assault on the idea of federalism” that would negatively affect the state’s higher education system.
The DMK’s student wing had staged a protest at Valluvar Kottam in Chennai on January 10, claiming the draft rules violated the principles of federalism. According to the UGC’s new draft guidelines, candidates can now qualify for faculty positions by clearing the UGC-NET, even if their undergraduate and postgraduate degrees are in different disciplines. The draft also proposes changes to the selection process for vice-chancellors, allowing professionals from academia, research, public policy, and industry to be eligible.
UGC Chairman M. Jagadesh Kumar defended the revised guidelines, asserting that the new process “eliminates ambiguity and ensures transparency.” He clarified that the search-cum-selection committee for vice-chancellors will now include members nominated by the chancellor, UGC chairman, and the university’s executive council, aiming for a more transparent process.
