Its president, P Punithan, said Ahmad Zahid Hamidi was the deputy prime minister when the blueprint was launched. He said both Zahid and current higher education minister Zambry Abdul Kadir are from Barisan Nasional, previously led by Najib.

“I think BN must be held responsible and convince the prime minister (Anwar Ibrahim) to implement a 7% quota to public universities,” he said in a statement.

“If Indian youths are receiving opportunities based on the merit system, then why did Zahid, along with Najib, launch the blueprint in the first place?”

The blueprint, launched in 2017, set out several goals, including ensuring that at least 7% of students in all government colleges, universities, polytechnics and other tertiary institutions are of Indian descent.

Yesterday, Zambry reiterated that public university admissions are based on merit, particularly for high-demand courses.

He said the lack of university placements should not be turned into a racial or discriminatory issue, and that students who achieved top marks will be offered places.