Patna, Feb 20 (IANS) The 14th day of the Budget Session of the Bihar Legislative Assembly witnessed a major disruption on Friday after remarks made by CPI(ML) MLA Sandeep Saurabh triggered strong objections from ruling party members, leading to sloganeering and heated exchanges in the House.
Raising an adjournment motion, the Paliganj MLA spoke on caste-based discrimination in higher educational institutions.
He stated that discrimination continues in universities and colleges and demanded strict implementation of the new UGC regulations in Bihar.
During his address, Saurabh claimed that those with a Brahmin mindset were opposing the implementation of the University Grants Commission (Promotion of Equity in Higher Education Institutions) Regulations, which has been put on hold following a Supreme Court intervention.
Citing data, the CPI(ML) legislator said incidents of caste-based discrimination and harassment in higher education institutions had increased by 118 per cent between 2014 and 2019.
He questioned how long students like Rohith Vemula would continue to die in the country and referred to cases such as Rohith Vemula, Payal Tadvi, and Darshan Solanki, describing them as examples of caste-based harassment on campuses.
Saurabh further stated that although the UGC announced equity and activity guidelines in January 2026 to curb caste-based harassment, their implementation was suspended by the Supreme Court following protests.
He argued that while the regulations remain on hold, states such as Karnataka and Telangana have taken steps towards implementing provisions similar to the Rohith Vemula Act to address caste discrimination in higher educational institutions.
He urged the Bihar government to implement the UGC guidelines at the state level and press the Centre to bring an ordinance in Parliament.
The remarks drew sharp objections from ruling party MLAs, who protested the use of the term “Brahminism.”
Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Kumar Sinha said such language was inappropriate and against constitutional values.
“Every death is a loss for the country and the state. I respect every community. Spreading poison in society weakens the nation,” Sinha said.
Referring to his personal experience, he stated that he, too, had faced ragging during his student days and alleged that such statements undermine the vision of B.R. Ambedkar.
Reacting to the Deputy Chief Minister’s remarks, RJD MLA Alok Mehta accused the ruling party of being defensive, while BJP MLA Mithilesh Tiwari countered that the Opposition misunderstands Brahminism and harbours bias against them.
The situation escalated further when CPI(ML) MLA Sandeep Saurabh and BJP MLA Murari Mohan Thakur engaged in a heated verbal exchange, pointing fingers at each other inside the House.
As the uproar intensified, Speaker Prem Kumar intervened and ordered that the contentious word be expunged from the Assembly records, bringing temporary calm to the proceedings.
–IANS
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