"Against the federal principles of the Constitution": DMK, RSP MPs protest UGC regulation

New Delhi [India], February 6 (ANI): As protests against the University Grants Commission (UGC) Regulations 2025 continue, DMK MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi and Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) MP N. K. Premachandran have voiced strong opposition to the proposed amendments, which they believe undermine state autonomy and student rights.
Premachandran condemned the UGC's involvement in non-academic matters, emphasizing that the central government is overstepping its boundaries.
"It is the statute of the state assembly... They are issuing guidelines even for the appointment of the Vice-Chancellors. It is the authority of the UGC. They are giving the guidelines so that the central government will have a role in the appointment of the governors," said the RSP member.
He further stressed, "So many non-academic activities are being administered and governed by the UGC and the central government. It is against the federal principles of the Constitution, and the state autonomy is questioned. This is the basic reason why we are opposing..."
Speaking to ANI about the ongoing protests organized by the DMK Students' Wing, DMK MP, Kanimozhi Karunanidhi said, "Yesterday, there was a meeting of all the education ministers and the higher education ministers in Karnataka. They have come up with a memorandum that they oppose the amendment of the UGC."
She further noted, "Leaders of different parties are coming together at the DMK Students' Wing protest against the Union Government and the UGC regulations. It is not just taking away state rights but also the rights of the students. We have to protest..."
The proposed UGC regulations have drawn criticism from several political parties, including Congress, as the central government is seen to be encroaching on the rights of the states in the field of education.
Meanwhile, Congress leader and Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi has once again lashed out at the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and accused them of attempting to erase diverse histories, cultures, and traditions in India.
While addressing a protest by the DMK students wing against the University Grants Commission (UGC) draft rules, Gandhi alleged that the RSS aims to impose a single idea, history, tradition, and language on the country.
"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," Rahul Gandhi said.
Gandhi claimed that the RSS's attack on the Constitution was part of their larger agenda to dominate India's cultural and educational landscape, stating, "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."
Gandhi claimed that the RSS's attack on the Constitution was part of their larger agenda to dominate India's cultural and educational landscape.
"This attempt that they're doing with the education system of the different states is just another attempt to push their agenda...," said the Congress MP.
He expressed his support for protests like the one organized by the DMK students wing, stating that the RSS needs to be held accountable for their actions.
"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," said Rahul Gandhi. (ANI)