New Delhi: Delhi University has objected to a statement by leader of the opposition Rahul Gandhi alleging caste-based discrimination in DU admissions. He should not make unverified claims, DU demanded in a post on X.Speaking at Samvidhan Sammelan, organised on the birth anniversary of BSP founder Kanshi Ram in Lucknow on Friday, Rahul alleged that interviews at DU were used to eliminate students on the basis of caste. “I went to Delhi University. An interview is a method to eliminate students. They ask what your caste is, and then you fail in the interview,” the Congress MP allegedly said.He also targeted RSS, claiming that backward classes lack representation within its organisational structure, reported news agencies.DU claimed that Rahul should have verified the facts before making the caste-based elimination remark. “Delhi University admits students primarily based on the CUET scores, and the standard admission process does not mandate interviews for most undergraduate and postgraduate programmes,” it wrote on X tagging the Union education ministry. “If the leader of the opposition (in Lok Sabha) was referring to recruitments (such as faculty positions), the university in the recent past has recruited thousands of teachers across all categories. We strongly object to such comments, as they create a non-conducive environment in the university,” it added.Congress’ teachers wing, Indian National Teachers’ Congress (INTEC), on Saturday criticised the university’s response and said the administration itself should examine facts related to recruitment processes.INTEC claimed that in several departments, a large number of teaching posts advertised under SC, ST and OBC categories had been declared “Not Found Suitable (NFS)” after the interview stage despite the presence of qualified candidates. It demanded that DU withdraw its tweet and conduct a transparent review of the posts declared “NFS” in recent recruitment cycles, while ensuring that reserved teaching posts are filled in accordance with constitutional provisions.
