Govt will not tolerate edu institutions turning into hubs of politicking: Pokhriyal

As anti-citizenship law protests in various universities showed no signs of let up, Union HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal on Sunday said the central government will not tolerate educational institutions turning into hubs of politicking "at any cost". He said that anyone is free to engage in political activities, but colleges and universities should be kept out of it, as many students come to study from far-off places.

"The Narendra Modi government is not going to tolerate this at any cost," he asserted.

Scores of students from universities across the country, including Jawaharlal Nehru University, Jamia Millia Islamia, Delhi University, Jadavpur University and Presidency University, have been protesting against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). Pokhriyal accused the opposition parties of deliberately spreading misinformation over the CAA.

"It is the Congress, which is responsible for the country's division on religious grounds, that is spreading misinformation about CAA," he said.

Taking a swipe at West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for opposing the citizenship law, the minister said the TMC supremo was the one to protest against illegal immigration in the state in 2005 when she was an MP.

"She had vociferously demanded the Citizenship Amendment Bill back then," he said.

On the new education policy that is under works, Pokhriyal said it would be connected with the values of the country.

"The new education policy, which will be brought out after a gap of 33 years, will be India-centric and connected with the country's values," he said. Pokhriyal said the country's education will advance through knowledge, science and investigaton.