‘Caste oriented’ remarks spark war of words over UGC rules in Assembly

Tempers flared in the assembly over CPI(ML) MLA Sandeep Saurav's "casteist" remark regarding UGC regulations, leading to heated protests and a call for dignified language.

Tempers boiled over in the state assembly on Friday during zero hour when CPI(ML) MLA Sandeep Saurav a remark in context with the Supreme Court-stayed UGC equity regulations which the ruling NDA members termed “casteist”.

RJD legislators demonstrate during the Budget Session outside the Bihar Assembly in Patna on Friday. (Santosh Kumar/HT)

Speaker Prem Kumar expunged the remark from the record.

Raising the issue, Saurav said people with “a particular mindset” had opposed the University Grants Commission (Promotion of Equity in Higher Education Institutions) Regulations, 2026 — notified on January 13 to replace the milder 2012 framework with stricter, binding provisions against caste discrimination on campuses.

The rules had sparked protests at several places before the apex court stayed them on January 29, calling the provisions “too sweeping” and warning they could be misused against general-category students. The older regulations remain in force.

Saurav backed his demand with hard numbers, pointing to a 118% rise in “caste-based” atrocities in higher education institutions between 2019 and 2024. He argued the framework was essential to root out prejudice and deliver social justice, and urged the state to push for a parliamentary law on the matter.

The use of the caste based comment set the House on fire. BJP MLAs Jivesh Mishra and Mithilesh Tiwari shot up in protest, accusing Saurav of dragging an entire community into the mud. Deputy chief minister Vijay Kumar Sinha took the sharpest line. “The use of the ‘casteist’ word shows the mindset of the entire opposition,” he said. “Such language has no place in this constitutional forum. It divides the nation and amounts to betrayal with society.”

In a rare personal aside, Sinha recalled being ragged so badly during his technical course in Muzaffarpur that he was forced to leave the hostel. He stood firmly by the Supreme Court’s cautious approach, saying the kind of rhetoric being used was the very opposite of Babasaheb Ambedkar’s dream of equality.

RJD’s Alok Kumar Mehta rushed to Saurav’s defence. “No caste was being targeted — this is about a mentality, not any community,” he shot back. “The BJP and its alliance partners are anti-Dalit and anti-reservation. That’s why they’re opposing the regulations.” The reaction, he added, reminded him of the old saying about the thief’s beard having straw.

BJP MLA Mithilesh Tiwari hit back by expressing how there has always been harmony among different sections of society from ancient ages and there are references of it in religious texts : “Our culture is respect, not hatred,” he said.

Shouting broke out across the aisles. Speaker Prem Kumar finally stepped in, objecting to ‘casteist’ references and ordering the phrase expunged from the records. He appealed for “maryadit bhasha” (dignified language) and ordered that the reference of the caste laced comment be expunged from the proceeding. Only after repeated pleas did the din die down and the House move to other business.