New Delhi: Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, joined Samajwadi Party head Akhilesh Yadav and DMK MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi at Jantar Mantar on Thursday for a protest organised by the Tamil Nadu-based DMK student wing.
The protest was conducted in opposition to the University Grants Commission's (UGC) draft regulations, which have raised worries about the potential impact on regional education systems.
Addressing the audience, the Congress MP slammed the RSS and the ruling government's approach to India's diverse cultural and linguistic traditions. He said that the new draft guidelines aimed to impose a singular ideology on the country's educational system, Indian Express reported.
“I want to tell the Tamil youngsters that this (UGC draft rules) is not only an educational move… It is an attempt by the RSS to attack your history, your tradition, your language,” Gandhi said.
He alleged that RSS aims to wipe out all other histories, cultures, and traditions in this country, he said, “That is their starting point; that is what they want to achieve. They attacked the Constitution because they wanted to impose one idea, one history, one tradition, and one language on this country.”
He highlighted that India's federal structure, as embodied in the Constitution, protects and upholds the unique identities of individual states. “Each state has its own traditions, history, and language. That is why I keep saying that in the Constitution, India is called a Union of States. These diverse cultures come together to make India what it is today,” he added.
“I want to tell the Tamil youngsters that this (UGC draft rules) is not only an educational move… It is an attempt by the RSS to attack your history, your tradition, your language,” he said.
Various student unions and opposition leaders attended the protest, expressing fears that the UGC's new policies would threaten the autonomy of state education bodies and institutions.