In BJP's model money is in hands of select rich, while Cong gives to poor: Rahul Gandhi
Hosapete (Karnataka), May 20 (PTI): Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, on Tuesday said that the BJP follows a model under which select rich people get entire money and resources, whereas in the Congress' model, money is put into the bank accounts and the pockets of the poor.
The Congress leader asserted that the party's government in Karnataka has implemented the "sixth guarantee" promised to the people, by distributing over one lakh title deeds to the beneficiaries.
He was speaking at an event to mark Karnataka Congress government's two years in office, during which over 1.11 lakh title deeds were distributed to eligible beneficiaries, whose "undocumented habitations" have been declared as revenue villages.
"Congress party government has completed two years. During the election, we made you promises. We had promised five guarantees. The BJP people said that the Congress party will not be able to fulfill it. The Prime Minister said this won't be done," Gandhi said.
Listing out the five guarantee schemes implemented by the government, he said, "We have told you that we will put money into the bank account of Karnataka's poor. Today, thousands of crores of rupees are being put directly into your bank account. This money, you use for the education of your children, for your health. This is what we wanted -- your money comes back to your pocket."
"The BJP wants only select people to get India's entire money, but we want the money to go to the pockets of poor, backward, dalits, adivasis -- directly. When we put money into your pockets, that money goes into the market and because of this production increases and the money gets injected into villages, as you spend this money in your villages, towns and cities, and Karnataka's economy benefits from it," he added.
Stating that in the BJP's model, the entire money is given to two-three billionaires, the Congress leader said these billionaires don't spend money in villages or towns, but they buy assets in London, New York and other places.
"Your money goes into the hands of a select few under the BJP's model. In their model, employment gets finished, but in our model, employment gets generated. In their model, if you are ill, you will be under debt, in our model, you will have money in your pockets and you will get treated. You will give lakhs of money to private schools, colleges and universities for education under their model and face debt, while in our model we give you money," he added.
AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, party general secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala, host of party leaders and ministers were present at the event.
The Congress government's five guarantee schemes are -- 200 units of free power to all households (Gruha Jyoti), Rs 2,000 monthly assistance to the woman head of every family (Gruha Lakshmi), the additional 5 kg of rice to every member of a BPL household (Anna Bhagya), Rs 3,000 every month for unemployed graduate youth and Rs 1,500 for diploma holders for two years (Yuva Nidhi), and free travel for women in public transport buses (Shakti).
Noting that there were many people in Karnataka who had land but did not have property rights over it, and Dalit and adivasi hamlets were not even considered as revenue villages, and they lacked government facilities, Gandhi said he had discussed it with Kharge, Siddaramaiah and others during election, and wanted those who have such lands in the state, to also have property right over it.
"I'm happy today we have succeeded in fulfilling our sixth guarantee. Over one lakh families are today being given title deeds by the Karnataka government. We have taken a major step in fulfilling former PM Indira Gandhi's dream," he said.
Pointing out that 2,000 habitations are being declared as revenue villages in the state, Gandhi said he has also asked to ensure that there is a digital registry.
"Poor may not be able to get their land record. They won't get their documents despite several years. That is why I have said there should be a digital registry in the 21st century. You may have a physical copy, but whenever in need, you should be able to take a digital copy," he said.
Highlighting that the "sixth guarantee" will benefit the poor, belonging to Lambani, Banjara, Soliga, Bovi, among other communities, Gandhi further said there are 50,000 families, who still don't have property rights, and "I want that within six months they too are given title deeds."
"About 2,000 revenue villages have been declared. I want 500 more new revenue villages to be declared. There should be no one in Karnataka who doesn't have property rights over their land. We want Karnataka to become the first state in the country where whoever has the land also has right over it," he said.
The Congress had promised five guarantees, but has implemented six, and they were most needed for Karnataka's future, as it benefits crores of families, he added.
कर्नाटक में चुनाव के वक्त हमने 5 गारंटी दी थीं, लेकिन आज 6 पूरी की हैं। एक लाख से ज़्यादा परिवारों को उनकी ज़मीन का मालिकाना हक़ दिया गया है।
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) May 20, 2025
यह कर्नाटक के भविष्य के लिए सबसे महत्वपूर्ण गारंटी है, जिससे करोड़ों परिवारों को, खासकर गरीबों, दलितों और आदिवासियों को, सीधा फायदा होगा।… pic.twitter.com/1vSqELdPoN
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Single higher education regulator bill tabled in LS; Oppn flags ‘centralisation,' JPC likely
New Delhi: A bill to set up a 13-member body to regulate institutions of higher education was introduced in the Lok Sabha on Monday.
Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan introduced the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, which seeks to establish an overarching higher education commission along with three councils for regulation, accreditation, and ensuring academic standards for universities and higher education institutions in India.
Meanwhile, the move drew strong opposition, with members warning that it could weaken institutional autonomy and result in excessive centralisation of higher education in India.
The Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, 2025, earlier known as the Higher Education Council of India (HECI) Bill, has been introduced in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
The proposed legislation seeks to merge three existing regulatory bodies, the University Grants Commission (UGC), the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), and the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE), into a single unified body called the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan.
At present, the UGC regulates non-technical higher education institutions, the AICTE oversees technical education, and the NCTE governs teacher education in India.
Under the proposed framework, the new commission will function through three separate councils responsible for regulation, accreditation, and the maintenance of academic standards across universities and higher education institutions in the country.
According to the Bill, the present challenges faced by higher educational institutions due to the multiplicity of regulators having non-harmonised regulatory approval protocols will be done away with.
The higher education commission, which will be headed by a chairperson appointed by the President of India, will cover all central universities and colleges under it, institutes of national importance functioning under the administrative purview of the Ministry of Education, including IITs, NITs, IISc, IISERs, IIMs, and IIITs.
At present, IITs and IIMs are not regulated by the University Grants Commission (UGC).
Government to refer bill to JPC; Oppn slams it
The government has expressed its willingness to refer it to a joint committee after several members of the Lok Sabha expressed strong opposition to the Bill, stating that they were not given time to study its provisions.
Responding to the opposition, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said the government intends to refer the Bill to a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) for detailed examination.
Congress Lok Sabha MP Manish Tewari warned that the Bill could result in “excessive centralisation” of higher education. He argued that the proposed law violates the constitutional division of legislative powers between the Union and the states.
According to him, the Bill goes beyond setting academic standards and intrudes into areas such as administration, affiliation, and the establishment and closure of university campuses. These matters, he said, fall under Entry 25 of the Concurrent List and Entry 32 of the State List, which cover the incorporation and regulation of state universities.
Tewari further stated that the Bill suffers from “excessive delegation of legislative power” to the proposed commission. He pointed out that crucial aspects such as accreditation frameworks, degree-granting powers, penalties, institutional autonomy, and even the supersession of institutions are left to be decided through rules, regulations, and executive directions. He argued that this amounts to a violation of established constitutional principles governing delegated legislation.
Under the Bill, the regulatory council will have the power to impose heavy penalties on higher education institutions for violating provisions of the Act or related rules. Penalties range from ₹10 lakh to ₹75 lakh for repeated violations, while establishing an institution without approval from the commission or the state government could attract a fine of up to ₹2 crore.
Concerns were also raised by members from southern states over the Hindi nomenclature of the Bill. N.K. Premachandran, an MP from the Revolutionary Socialist Party representing Kollam in Kerala, said even the name of the Bill was difficult to pronounce.
He pointed out that under Article 348 of the Constitution, the text of any Bill introduced in Parliament must be in English unless Parliament decides otherwise.
DMK MP T.M. Selvaganapathy also criticised the government for naming laws and schemes only in Hindi. He said the Constitution clearly mandates that the nomenclature of a Bill should be in English so that citizens across the country can understand its intent.
Congress MP S. Jothimani from Tamil Nadu’s Karur constituency described the Bill as another attempt to impose Hindi and termed it “an attack on federalism.”
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