Senior Congress leader and former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijaya Singh on Wednesday (April 1, 2026) alleged in Rajya Sabha that Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) was systematically undermining its social justice mandate, citing a 25% decline in SC/ST enrolment, irregularities in reserved faculty appointments and remarks by the Vice-Chancellor that he said were at odds with the university's founding principles.
Raising the matter during Zero Hour, Mr. Singh noted the irony that two eminent JNU alumni were seated on the Treasury Benches even as the institution — ranked among the top 10 universities in the National Institutional Ranking Framework — was drifting from its core mandate of national integration, democratic values and social justice.
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He flagged recent media remarks attributed to the JNU Vice-Chancellor, who reportedly described assertions by historically marginalised communities as "permanent victimhood" and suggested such realities were manufactured.
"Such statements raise concerns about the institution's sensitivity to caste discrimination, equity and constitutional values," Mr. Singh said.
