As the Union government moves to revisit the University Grants Commission’s (UGC) 2026 equity regulations, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) finds itself in a quandary. The Scheduled Caste (SC), ST (Scheduled Tribe) and Other Backward Class (OBC) communities back the stringent safeguards against caste-based discrimination. Upper castes, the BJP’s core voter base, have sought protection against the potential misuse of these provisions.
In a post on X, BJP’s Uttar Pradesh in-charge Vinod Tawde cited the Supreme Court hearing and the Central government’s plan to constitute a panel on the regulations. The BJP’s social engineering formula of giving representation to marginalised sections has been expanding its voter base. The issue was discussed at RSS’s gathering in Indore this week. “The Sangh has made its position clear that the UGC circular was imbalanced. This concern was brought to the attention of the authorities, and both the government and the UGC took note of it. The Opposition has cocked a snook at the BJP.
He said the plan will ensure that no discrimination occurs against students of any category due to its imbalances.
A BJP leader said the party can neither afford the upper castes to move away nor do without the support of the OBCs. Sunil Ambekar, RSS’s chief spokesperson, said that the guidelines were imbalanced. He said the government should ensure that any changes or decisions concerning the rules maintain fairness and social harmony. The [Supreme] Court has also put the regulations on hold, and the matter is currently sub judice,” Ambekar said. In a post on X, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Priyanka Chaturvedi said the government’s response seems to stem from concerns about the polls. “Fearing the results of the Uttar Pradesh elections, this argument is now being presented in the Supreme Court on behalf of the government: until now, they had been sitting silently, ready to implement the guidelines, and even after the Supreme Court stayed it, they took so much time just to say that a committee would be formed…”
The issue is expected to be front and centre of the next round of state polls, including in Uttar Pradesh, where caste is a key electoral issue. The BJP hopes that the announcement about revisiting the regulations will placate the upper castes.
BJP leaders said it is equally concerned that the announcement should not have any adverse impact on its outreach towards the marginalised castes. On Thursday, the government, which faced backlash from the upper castes over the regulations that were put in abeyance, told the Supreme Court it will set up a committee to revisit them.
