Ranchi – Jayaprakash Janata Dal National Secretary Pankaj Mishra has accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of deliberately endangering the future of students belonging to the general category and “crushing” their rights. He alleged that the University Grants Commission (UGC) is being used as an instrument to implement this agenda.
Mishra claimed that by placing OBCs, persons with disabilities, and girls within the same framework as Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, the BJP is effectively destroying the career prospects of general category students while simultaneously serving its vote-bank politics. He alleged that the BJP, by pushing OBCs into a category that has historically faced atrocities, is attempting to consolidate its political support, similar to how it has previously used issues related to SC/ST communities during its tenure.
He further stated that under the new framework in higher educational institutions, even a general category student merely looking at an SC, ST, or OBC student could be grounds for a complaint. Such a complaint, he alleged, could lead to the general category student being blacklisted by an institutional committee, effectively barring them from admission to any educational institution in the future.
Mishra pointed out that the notification, which came into effect on January 13, has also been published in the Government of India Gazette. He warned that the UGC’s decision would create an atmosphere of fear among general category students and could lead to an increase in blackmail, harassment, and exploitation.
Jayaprakash Janata Dal has strongly opposed the BJP’s decision and has appealed to all political parties to unite against what it described as a divisive mindset that threatens national unity.