The Congress on Tuesday alleged the Tata Institute of Social Sciences is now "under attack" from the Narendra Modi government, claiming the Education Ministry took over the institution only to leave it "directionless" and let corrupt people cause havoc there.

It made the allegation while citing that the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) chancellor, D P Singh, has been named in an FIR by the CBI and demanded that he be dismissed immediately.

There was no immediate response from the government to the Congress' allegations.

The opposition party's criticism came after the CBI busted a network of officials of the Health Ministry and National Medical Commission, intermediaries and representatives of private medical colleges, allegedly involved in "egregious" acts, including graft and manipulation of the regulatory framework governing medical colleges.

TISS Chancellor Singh, Gitanjali University Registrar Mayur Raval, Rawatpura Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Chairman Ravi Shankar ji Maharaj and Index Medical College Chairman Suresh Singh Bhadoria have also been named in the FIR.

Congress general secretary in charge of communications, Jairam Ramesh, alleged that over the past 11 years, the Modi government has made every effort to capture prestigious educational institutions.

"JNU, Delhi University, and Visva-Bharati University were the first targets. TISS is now under attack. In July 2023, the UGC took over the power to appoint the leadership at TISS -- hitherto governed independently -- on the grounds that the majority of the institute's funding came from the Union government," he said in a post on X.

Ramesh pointed out that in the two years since, the Education Ministry has failed to appoint a full-time vice chancellor.

"Interviews were held for the position only in December 2024, and in the seven months since, the position has still not been filled. We can only imagine what intrigues have been going on in Delhi and Nagpur regarding this position," Ramesh said.

In the meantime, last month, the pro-VC was asked to step down following complaints of financial irregularities from the Central Vigilance Department, he said.

The Congress leader alleged that the TISS administration under the pro-VC was notorious for cracking down on free expression, but "evidently it wasn’t enough to save him".

"Now it turns out that the one appointment that the Ministry did succeed in making -- that of the Chancellor -- has also turned out to be a poor choice. The Chancellor has been named in the FIR filed by the CBI in what has been called India's biggest medical scam. Notably, the TISS Chancellor was also formerly Chairperson of the UGC," Ramesh said.

"The Education Ministry has taken over TISS only to leave it directionless and without governance, and to let corrupt persons run havoc there." Ramesh demanded that the chancellor be dismissed urgently, and a Vice Chancellor must be appointed as soon as possible.

"The Education Minister owes us all an explanation as to the reasons behind this sorry state of affairs in one of India's most well-known and sought-after institutions," he said.

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