Congress has become outdated, was always against reservation: PM Modi
New Delhi(PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday launched a scathing attack on the Congress alleging that the opposition party has become outdated and has always been against any kind of reservation.
Replying to the debate on the Motion of Thanks in the Rajya Sabha, Modi said the Congress party has "outsourced" its work and expressed his sympathies over its downfall.
"The Congress' thought has become outdated and it has outsourced its work. We are not happy at such a downfall of the party and we express our sympathies," he said.
Citing a letter written by Jawaharlal Nehru to chief ministers, Modi said it clearly states that the first prime minister was against reservation of any kind, especially in jobs, as it adversely affected the functioning of the government.
Modi said President Droupadi Murmu, in her address in Parliament, talked about solving the problems of the four largest sections of society -- the poor, farmers, the youth and women.
"The Congress strangled democracy for power and dismissed democratically elected governments. The Congress has been against Dalits, backwards, tribals and had it not been for Babasaheb Ambedkar, they would not have got any reservation," he said.
Modi also accused the Congress of creating narratives to divide the country and alleged that it was now trying to give such statements that sought to create a North-South divide. The party that ceased large chunks of the country's land to an enemy nation is now giving sermons to us on internal security, he said, attacking the Congress.
"The Congress does not have guarantee of its own leaders and policies but is questioning Modi's guarantees," he said.
The prime minister said the Congress was aware of the problems facing the country but did nothing to resolve them.
"We have come out of a difficult time and have brought the country out of its problems," the PM said. Modi said the Congress was inspired by the British and that is why it continued with the symbols of slavery for decades.
"The Congress gave such narratives that those following Indian traditions were looked down upon," he said.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Bill to set up single higher education regulator likely to be tabled in Parliament next week
New Delhi (PTI): A Bill which seeks to set up a single regulator for institutions of higher education is required to facilitate universities and other higher educational institutes become independent and self-governing, officials said.
The Bill is likely to be introduced in Parliament next week after it got the Union Cabinet's nod on Friday.
The proposed legislation, which was earlier christened the Higher Education Commission of India (HECI) Bill, has now been named Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhikshan Bill.
A single higher education regulator, which was proposed in the new National Education Policy (NEP), looks to replace the University Grants Commission (UGC), the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), and the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE).
"The Bill proposes to set up a Higher Education Commission of India to facilitate universities and other higher educational institutes become independent and self-governing institutions and to promote excellence through a robust and transparent system of accreditation and autonomy. It is likely to be introduced (in Parliament) in the coming week," an official said.
While the UGC presently oversees non-technical higher education in the country, the AICTE oversees technical education, while the NCTE is the regulatory body for teachers' education.
The Commission is proposed to be set up as a single higher education regulator, but medical and law colleges will not be brought under its ambit.
It is proposed to have three major roles -- regulation, accreditation and setting professional standards, officials said.
Funding, which is seen as the fourth vertical, is not proposed to be under the regulator so far. The autonomy for funding is proposed to be with the administrative ministry, they said.
