Caste politics returns as UGC face backlash

The new University Grants Commission (UGC) rules have once again fuelled caste-based politics, with upper-caste students taking to the streets in protest.

- AJIT MAINDOLA

Dissent has also surfaced within the BJP, while the Congress has so far refrained from openly opposing the regulations.

Although the government has maintained that the rules will not lead to discrimination, the escalating protests have prompted speculation that a review committee may be constituted to reconsider the framework. The political heat surrounding the UGC rules has been most intense in Uttar Pradesh. The resignation of City Magistrate Alankar Agnihotri has further sharpened the backward versus forward caste narrative. Meanwhile, GST officer Prashant Kishore from Ayodhya resigned in support of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, triggering what many see as a new political trend.