Amid widespread criticism of the UGC rules put on hold by the Supreme Court, a senior RSS leader on Tuesday said his organization believes that there should be unity in the society and will do everything possible to maintain it.
Responding to criticism from those questioning the contribution of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in the freedom struggle, Akhil Bharatiya Prachar chief Sunil Ambekar said that after 100 years the RSS does not need to explain what it has done to maintain the sovereignty and unity of the country.
He said, “The Sangh was also formed with the same purpose. Whatever the Sangh has done, it has been done for the country.”
Last month, the Center notified new rules ordering all higher education institutions to set up “equality committees” to investigate complaints of discrimination and promote equality, triggering protests.
The University Grants Commission (Promotion of Equity in Institutions of Higher Education) Regulations, 2026 mandate that these committees should include members from Other Backward Classes (OBC), Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), persons with disabilities and women.
The Supreme Court has put on hold the UGC’s equality norms to prevent caste-based discrimination on campus, saying the framework is “prima facie vague”, could have “very wide implications” and could ultimately divide the society with “dangerous implications”.
“The court has stayed the guidelines. Various people have expressed their views and the matter is still sub-judice in the court. The Sangh believes that there should be unity in the society. We all will do whatever is necessary to maintain the unity,” Ambedkar said in response to a question related to the UGC rules.
Asked about the recent controversy over painting the city green, which was a reference to comments made by an All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) councilor in Thane that her party would paint Mumbra green, Ambedkar said the country’s color had been saffron for thousands of years.
On the issue of the important role of language in the recently concluded municipal elections, he said that the RSS’s stand has been that all Indian languages are national languages.
He said that it has been the tradition of the country that all the languages flourish happily together.
Ambedkar said, “The people of the country have preserved so many languages and they have flourished. This is our history. If people forget the history (of the language in the country) then problems will arise.”
Shiv Sena (UBT) and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) had made Marathi language and ‘asmita’ (pride) a major election issue in the municipal elections.
