The BJP and the Politics of Higher Education in India

Higher education in India has increasingly emerged as a contested political arena, particularly under the dominance of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). No longer viewed merely as sites of teaching and research, universities and higher education institutions (HEIs) have become central to struggles over ideology, nationalism, governance, and knowledge production. This paper critically examines the BJP's politics of higher education by analysing policy reforms, institutional governance, curriculum restructuring, student politics, and debates surrounding academic freedom and dissent. Drawing on policy documents, secondary literature, and critical political theory, the study argues that the BJP's approach to higher education reflects a broader political project aimed at reconfiguring state–university relations and redefining national identity through education. The paper demonstrates that initiatives such as the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 represent a hybrid framework combining cultural nationalism, neoliberal market rationalities, and centralised governance. While framed as reforms to enhance quality, flexibility, and global competitiveness, these measures also enable greater state influence over institutional autonomy, curriculum design, and academic governance. The promotion of Indian Knowledge Systems, the restructuring of regulatory mechanisms, and the growing emphasis on discipline and managerial control reveal an attempt to reorder epistemic hierarchies and align universities with ideological and national priorities. At the same time, the study highlights that universities remain sites of resistance and democratic engagement. Student movements, faculty associations, and civil society actors continue to contest policy interventions, defend academic freedom, and articulate alternative visions of education and citizenship. The paper concludes that the politics of higher education under the BJP is best understood not as a uniform process of ideological imposition but as a dynamic and contested terrain, with significant implications for academic freedom, social justice, and the future of democracy in India.