PMO Scrutinises Ambedkarite Writings in Universities After Anonymous 'Poison' Post
The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) has initiated an enquiry into the works of prominent intellectuals and academics recommended as readings in several higher learning institutions, following an anonymous social media post that termed these works "poison". The Higher Education Department, acting on communication from the PMO, sent an urgent email to all central universities on Sunday, seeking their comments and details of enrolment in the courses mentioned in the post.
The post, shared on the platform X on September 26, 2026, listed 35 works, including those by B.R. Ambedkar, Jyotirao Phule, Gail Omvedt, Braj Ranjan Mani, and Sharmila Rege, among others. It alleged that students are being taught "from patriarchy to Caste Annihilation to Debrahmanising the history to Curse of Manu" and accused a "leftist cabal" of grooming future cadres. The extended thread singled out specific works such as Ambedkar's 'Annihilation of Caste', Sharmila Rege's 'Against the Madness of Manu', Jyotirao Phule's 'Ghulamgiri', and Gail Omvedt's 'Dalits and Democratic Revolution', among others. It also mentioned Bhikku Bodhanand as the "godfather of the anti-Brahmin thesis in leftist academic circles".
The email from the Higher Education Department, marked "Urgent", requested all central universities to furnish comments and apprise the Ministry of enrolment in the courses mentioned. It did not specify what action, if any, would follow.
Interestingly, none of the writers mentioned in the post can be characterised as left-leaning. On the contrary, several of them critiqued the traditional Indian left from the perspective of caste and gender. For instance, B.R. Ambedkar's philosophy of Ambedkarism was always opposed to the leftist idea of class war. Similarly, Jyotirao Phule's work focused on caste oppression and women's rights.
Writer and academic Kancha Ilaiah Shepherd, whose three works, including 'Why I am not a Hindu', were listed among the 35 readings, responded sharply. "Ambedkarism was always opposed to the leftist idea of class war. If the PMO stands for opposing Phule, Ambedkar being taught, then it stands against SC/ST/OBCs when the PM himself is an OBC and the President is ST. If the PMO stands for Patriarchy and Manudharma, then it is against man-woman equality," he said. He also questioned the PMO's interference in university syllabi, which, he noted, ought to be in the purview of the Department of Higher Education or the University Grants Commission.
Apart from Mr. Shepherd, the authors whose works were mentioned in the image include E.V. Ramasamy (Periyar), R.S. Sharma, Savitribai Phule, Uma Chakravarti, Suvira Jaiswal, Aloka Parasher, Shireen Ratnagar, G. Aloysius, and Anupama Rao. Their works are cited as prescribed readings for postgraduate and undergraduate studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University, Central University of Punjab, Delhi University, and Asutosh College affiliated to the University of Calcutta.
The post concluded by saying, "So, if you wonder who created Kanhaiya Kumar or Neha Bora? It is our education system, infested with such books and anti-Hindu propaganda propagated by left-leaning teachers who are also products of the same education system. We need to break this cycle."
The PMO's enquiry has raised concerns about academic autonomy and the potential chilling effect on the teaching of caste and gender studies. The Higher Education Department's email has asked for comments "at the earliest", but it remains to be seen how universities will respond.
