New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, and several DMK MPs will join a protest against the University Grants Commission (UGC) draft rules on February 6 (Thursday) in Delhi. The protest, organized by the DMK’s student wing, will take place at 10 AM at Jantar Mantar, with leaders from the INDIA bloc also participating. Earlier, on January 9, the Tamil Nadu Assembly passed a resolution demanding the withdrawal of these draft rules.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin said in the Assembly, “This Assembly believes the recent UGC draft rules should be withdrawn. They harm federalism and negatively affect Tamil Nadu’s higher education system.” Before this, on January 10, the DMK’s student wing had already protested in Chennai at Valluvar Kottam, claiming the rules go against the spirit of federalism.

What are the new UGC rules?

The new UGC draft guidelines allow candidates to apply for faculty positions by clearing UGC-NET in any subject, even if their degrees are in different fields. The guidelines also suggest changes in the selection process for vice-chancellors, expanding eligibility to professionals from academia, research, public policy, administration, and industry.

On January 10, UGC chairman M. Jagadesh Kumar defended these rules, saying they improve transparency and remove confusion. Speaking to ANI, Kumar explained, “Now, the chancellor will form the search-cum-selection committee, which wasn’t clearly stated in the 2018 regulations.” He mentioned that the committee will have three members: one nominated by the chancellor, one by the UGC chairman, and one by the university’s executive council or senate. “This setup ensures a clearer and more transparent process,” Kumar said, responding to criticism from some teachers and state governments.