Opposition has issued a joint statement to condemn stance taken by the government
Opposition parties including Congress and TMC on Friday closed ranks to condemn any attempt by the Centre to "strip" Aligarh Muslim University and Jamia Millia Islamia University of their minority status, calling it a "sinister" move to promote an "unholy agenda".
As the parties slammed Attorney General Mukul Rohtagi for his controversial stand on the issue, a group of Muslim organisations accused the NDA Government of raking up the minority status of the two institutions for gains in West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh polls and sought "immediate" reversal of its position. The representatives from eight parties also said they will launch a signature campaign, approach President Pranab Mukherjee on the issue and raise the matter in Parliament in the upcoming Budget session.
In a joint statement, MPs from Congress, Trinamool Congress, JD(U), RJD, NCP, CPI, CPI(M) and AAP, said that they "strongly condemn" and express their displeasure and deep concern against the "nasty" move of the central government to "strip" AMU and JMI of their minority status. The MPs also condemned the statement of Rohtagi for his view that the two institutions are not minority institutions. "We condemn the statement of the Attorney General of India, who has blatantly tried to outrage the rich tradition of Ganga Jamuni Tehzeeb by mentioning before the Supreme Court that these two institutions are not minority institutions," the MPs said.
The signatories to the joint statement are Pramod Tiwari (Congress), K C Tyagi (JD-U), Sukhendu Sekhar Roy (Trinamool Congress), D P Tripathi (NCP), D Raja (CPI), Jay Prakash Yadav (RJD), Bhagwant Mann (AAP) and Ritabrata Banerjee (CPI-M), according to a press release issued by Tyagi. The Attorney General has told the government that Delhi-based Jamia Milia Islamia is not a minority institution as it was created by an Act of Parliament, days after he told the Supreme Court that the legislature never intended the AMU to be a minority institution.
Slamming the AG, the MPs alleged that Rohtagi tried to "undermine" the apex body of democratic India by making a "flimsy" claim that the legislature never intended AMU and JMI to be minority institutions. The MPs said that they believe that this is a "sinister move" to promote an "unholy agenda" and "dilute" the special character of these two premier seats of learning. A group of Muslim organistions condemned the move at a briefing organised by Students Islamic Organisation (SIO).
"This looks like an attempt to polarise votes ahead of West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh assembly polls. This move is aimed at creating division. "There also seems to be an attempt being made to make this a Dalit versus Muslims issue and that too at a time when a Dalit student has committed suicide," Saleem Engineer, general secretary of Jamaat-e-Islami-Hind, said.
BJP however brushed aside criticism of the Centre's stand on Aligarh Muslim University, saying the government was only performing its constitutional duties in maintaining that the varsity was not a minority institution and that in court, it was only reiterating the stand taken by previous governments.
BJP also said that AMU is cited in the Constitution as a public institution and made reference to previous discussions in Parliament to drive home the point that senior Congress leaders, former Ministers and Prime Ministers have maintained that such institutions are not minority institutions.
BJP spokesperson M J Akbar said though senior Congress leaders have rejected Constitutional amendments in Parliament maintaining that AMU is a public institution and making it a 'minority' institution is against national interest, the Congress has diluted its position during Sonia Gandhi's time.
"We should view this issue from the angle of Constitution and not through politics. For Government, there is only one book and that is the Constitution, as Prime Minister has said.
All central institutions have a character that is not for one or a particular section, but it is secular...
"Now this matter is before court, Government cannot refuse its constitutional duties. It will take a position which earlier governments have taken," he said.
Akbar further said that in the Constitution, three central institutions are mentioned - BHU, AMU and Delhi University.
"When they are included in the Constitution, we cannot move away from the Constitutional obligations. These are Central institutions and they will remain so. They cannot be converted into minority institutions," he said.
Attacking the Congress, Akbar said on this issue, "emotionalism is being used and an attempt is being made to mislead the people".
Another party spokesperson, Shahnawaz Hussain said the government took its stand on Aligarh Muslim University keeping in mind the Constitution and not any minority or majority. He said the stand taken by Jawaharlal Nehru, Lal Bahadur Shastri, Indira Gandhi, Maulana Azad, Karim Chagla, Nurul Hassan was the same and that there is not even an iota of change in it.
"There should not be any attempt and conspiracy to create an illusion in this country through a wrong perception... This should not be viewed through the spectacle of religion," Hussain said.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "aligarh muslim university")
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}