Congress strategically stays mum as issue over new UGC regulations push BJP into a corner: ‘Win-win situation’

The Congress feels the issue has put the BJP in a bind and it was better for it to stay away from the controversy and watch the situation unfold.

‘Catch-22 for BJP’

“We knew there was no point in muddying our hands over this issue. Hence, none of our top leaders spoke about it. We knew it was a win-win for us and a catch-22 situation for the BJP. If they withdrew the regulations, they would antagonise the Dalit, Other Backward Classes (OBC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) communities, and if they did not, they would anger upper-caste voters who are their base. The party realised this and instructed its leaders to not speak on the issue publicly,” said a senior All India Congress Committee (AICC) leader from the OBC community.

Party leaders said that none among the top brass spoke on the issue, knowing that it was a tricky subject even as it has been trying to reach out to the Scheduled Caste (SC), ST and OBC communities in the country, with Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi being among the most vocal critics of the BJP over the alleged oppression of the communities and their lack of representation.

On the other hand, the senior BJP leadership was said to be “unhappy” with the goings-on in connection with the regulations, and according to insiders, they could put in place a national outreach programme to dispel “negativity” around its provisions next month.

According to BJP insiders, the party was still mulling its next course of action over the issue, even as it was certain that “government officials” were to blame for its “problematic provisions” and that “action was likely to follow” against “some officials”.

The Indian Express reached out to multiple Congress leaders after the apex court’s order on Thursday, but they refused to comment citing it to be sub judice. They, however, admitted that the party took the approach of ‘wait and watch’ as the matter unfolded.

The main objection raised is that there is no provision for penalties in the regulations against “false complaints of discrimination”, and that institutions can be subjected to action for not complying with the regulations.

On the other hand, the BJP also realised that any caste friction will be seized upon by the Congress to reinforce its claim that the Modi government has failed to ensure representation for SCs, STs and OBCs at top levels of the government. Having faced a setback due to this Congress line in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls – specifically that a strong BJP would “alter” the Constitution – the Modi government had sought to recover ground with the announcement of a caste census.

‘Surprised’ by court’s ‘timely’ intervention

Some Congress leaders were, however, surprised by the “timely” intervention of the Supreme Court. “Honestly, we didn’t think the court would intervene so promptly and get the BJP out of the situation. But I don’t want to say anything on that as it concerns the judiciary,” said a Congress leader from the SC community.

The BJP, meanwhile, lay the blame squarely at the doorstep of the bureaucracy, with party sources saying its senior leadership was of the view that the regulations emerged in the public domain while it was preoccupied with “more significant” issues.

“The entire senior leadership, including the Prime Minister, was preoccupied with modalities related to the Free Trade Agreement with the European Union when the regulations emerged. Had its provisions been communicated in time, it would have been vetted the way that was required for such a significant issue,” a party source said.

“While the party still appears to be in the process of assessing the situation and how to go about facing public criticism around it, senior leaders including Union Ministers and Members of Parliament may be deployed across the country to dispel myths which are being propagated against the intent of the rules next month,” the source added.