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Accusing the Centre of using the NEP to push “centralisation, commercialisation, and communalisation,” the Congress MP said the government was dismantling public education — a charge the BJP rejected as baseless, calling the NEP a bold and inclusive reform
Gandhi’s critique comes at a time when some Opposition-ruled states have continued to oppose aspects of the NEP, despite the Centre’s efforts to implement uniform and modern education reforms across the country. (PTI)
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday hit back at Congress MP Sonia Gandhi after she launched a scathing attack on the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, accusing the Modi government of being “profoundly indifferent” to the education of India’s children and youth.
In a strongly worded opinion piece published in The Hindu, Gandhi claimed the policy masks a broader push by the Centre to centralise power, promote privatisation, and reshape the education system along ideological lines — a characterisation the BJP called politically motivated and out of touch with the reforms on the ground.
Gandhi’s intervention comes at a time when some Opposition-ruled states have continued to oppose aspects of the NEP, despite the Centre’s efforts to implement uniform and modern education reforms across the country.
CENTRALISATION: ‘A FLAGELLANT VIOLATION OF CONSTITUTIONAL MORALITY’
In her op-ed titled “The ‘3Cs’ that haunt Indian education today,” Gandhi accused the government of excluding state governments from key decisions on the NEP rollout. She highlighted that the Central Advisory Board of Education, which includes Union and state education ministers, had not met since September 2019, despite significant changes in education policies.
She alleged the Centre used financial pressure to push states into implementing the PM-SHRI scheme by withholding Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan grants, which support the Right to Education (RTE) Act. Gandhi called this a “bullying tendency,” stating it shows a government more interested in publicity than in upholding the Right to Education. She referenced the 363rd Report of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, which recommended the unconditional release of SSA funds to states.
Gandhi criticised the University Grants Commission’s draft 2025 guidelines for excluding state governments from appointing Vice-Chancellors and giving control to Governors instead. She argued this undermined federalism by converting a subject in the Concurrent List into Union Government control.
COMMERCIALISATION: THE SYSTEMATIC RETREAT OF THE STATE
Gandhi painted a bleak picture of public schooling under the Modi government, accusing it of neglecting its constitutional responsibility and allowing private sector expansion at the expense of government schools. She argued the NEP’s “school complexes” concept undermines the RTE’s neighbourhood school principle and leads to public school closures and increased privatisation. Citing data, she noted over 89,000 public schools have closed or merged since 2014, while 42,944 private schools have opened, forcing the poor into costly private schools.
On higher education, she criticised the Higher Education Financing Agency (HEFA) for encouraging universities to take loans that must be repaid from their own revenues, with a Parliamentary Standing Committee finding that 78% to 100% of such loans are repaid through student fees. She linked recent irregularities, such as the NAAC bribery scandal, to the growing commercialisation and politicisation of public education.
COMMUNALISATION: CONTENT AND APPOINTMENTS UNDER SCRUTINY
Gandhi accused the government of communalising education, alleging it pursues an ideological agenda of indoctrination and hatred. She criticised the removal of key content from NCERT textbooks and the temporary exclusion of the Preamble to the Constitution until public pressure reversed the decision.
She also alleged that appointments at institutions like IITs and IIMs are influenced by ideological considerations, with leadership roles reserved for compliant individuals. She argued the UGC’s attempt to revise qualification norms for senior academic roles aims to favour ideologically driven educationists over academic ideals.
In conclusion, Gandhi stated that over the last decade, education policies have been stripped of public service spirit and concerns about access and quality. She called for an end to what she described as the destruction of India’s public education system.
BJP HITS BACK: CR KESAVAN ACCUSES CONGRESS OF HYPOCRISY
Responding to the op-ed, BJP leader and national spokesperson CR Kesavan accused the Congress of political opportunism and selective memory. Posting on X (formerly Twitter), Kesavan pointed to what he called “inconsistent and confused” education reforms during the UPA years, including the rollback of the Class X board exam delinking policy.
1. Smt Sonia Gandhi is shockingly insulting & mocking our people preaching about Constitutional morality in context of Centralization of Education. Sonia Gandhi should be reminded that it was during the dictatorial Emergency of Indira Gandhi that Education which was originally…— C.R.Kesavan (@crkesavan) March 31, 2025
Kesavan defended the NEP as a forward-looking and inclusive policy aimed at aligning Indian education with global standards while also respecting linguistic and cultural diversity. He said the NEP equips students with contemporary skills, encourages foundational learning in mother tongues, and promotes autonomy in institutions while preserving India’s educational heritage.
The BJP has consistently positioned NEP 2020 as a transformative initiative that moves beyond rote learning to promote holistic, skill-based education. Party leaders argue that much of the Opposition criticism ignores both the consultation process and the structural goals the policy aims to achieve.