The allegation that undergraduates were threatened against participating in the ongoing Umno annual general assembly has "no basis whatsoever", Education Minister Dr Maszlee Malik (above) has said.

He said that checks conducted by his ministry have found no such cases of students of public universities being prevented from attending the general assembly.

His statement comes following the claim made by Umno secretary-general Annuar Musa that undergraduates were being threatened to have their scholarships revoked for participating in the event which is currently being held at the Umno headquarters at the Putra World Trade Centre in Kuala Lumpur.

"That claim has no basis whatsoever.

"As education minister, I am open to the participation and involvement of any student interested in the general assembly of any political party, unlike the practice of the past BN regime.

"The only thing is that public universities do not allow the use of university facilities such as the university bus to attend the assembly," he said in a statement sent last night.

Annuar was yesterday cited by portal Umno Online as claiming he knew of undergraduates who were threatened for participating in the event, although the Universities and University Colleges Act 1971 (UUCA) has been amended to allow students to be involved in politics.

The portal further reported that a total of 69 local and foreign undergraduates have been camping at Putra World Trade Centre but that some were forced to return due to allegations that they were pressured and threatened that their scholarships would be revoked.

Following these claims, Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman called on Annuar to provide details of the students allegedly threatened and promised to protect their rights.

"Students have a right to be involved in politics, even if they are pro-Umno," Syed Saddiq tweeted.

The three-day Umno AGM, which began yesterday, is the first general assembly for the party since its defeat in the 14th general elections in May.