By TCN News,
New Delhi: The Congress-led UPA Government has put the issue of AMU Kishanganj centre on the back seat. This is evident not only from bureaucratic hurdles in the HRD Ministry but also from the late night appointments given by the cabinet ministers to AMUCC (Aligarh Muslim University Coordination Committee) when the non-political group wants to talk to them on the issue.
After the Bihar government officially handed over about 250 acre land to the Aligarh Muslim University in Dec. 2011 for opening its special centre in Kishanganj district, the AMU Vice Chancellor wrote a letter to Union HRD Ministry in early January 2012 seeking sanction of first fund allocation, but the ministry has since been sitting on the file citing one reason or the other.
AMUCC meets union minority affairs minister Salman Khurshid over Kishanganj centre on 9th April 2012 in New Delhi
Sensing the negligent attitude of the central government — which was before the land handover accusing the Bihar government for delay — the AMUCC, formed last year to push the case for AMU Kishanganj centre and has been actively pursuing the case, intensified its lobbying and started meeting with key figures in the Congress government to remove the deadlock.
In last one month, members of AMUCC have jointly met Congress president, Congress secretary and two cabinet ministers but they got nothing but empty assurances preceded by lame excuses. That the Congress government is now little interested in Kishanganj centre is evident from the meeting time slot given to AMUCC. From Congress president in the beginning to the minority affairs and law minister two days back, all gave night appointment to AMUCC for meeting on the Kishanganj centre.
AMUCC meets Congress leader Oscar Fernandes over AMU Kishanganj issue on 29th March 2012 in New Delhi
“It seems worries for the proposed AMU (Aligarh Muslim University) Centre in Kishanganj are not going to end sooner. In fact, the road leading to establishment of the Special Centre in Kishanganj is still full of hurdles. Reason! Lack of proper planning from the Central Government to establish the centres outside Aligarh in Utttar Pradesh. The negligent approach from the Congress led UPA government towards the unique proposal of AMU Kishanganj is another reason. Hopes shattered again for the immediate solution of proposed AMU Centre in India’s one of the most backward and minority concentrated district of Kishanganj,” says Mudassir Alam, PRO, AMUCC.
On Monday evening (April 09, 2012), a delegation of AMUCC, a non-political group of working professionals and students residing in Delhi met with Union Law & Minority Affairs Minister Salman Khursheed at his official residence at 4 Kushak Road in New Delhi. AMUCC delegates met Khursheed as part of the group’s routine political lobbying work to push ahead the Central Government for providing Visitor’s (President of India) approval and fund allocation for the AMU Centre in Kishanganj.
Earlier scheduled at 7 pm in the evening, the meeting was rescheduled to 10 pm by Salman Khursheed due to his personal commitments. The AMUCC team after a long wait of 3 hours finally came face-to-face with Union Law Minister.
After the brief introduction, Khursheed repeated the words of Union HRD Minister Kapil Sibal that the matter of AMU centres is pending with Allahabad High Court. However, AMUCC team was having the copy of Allahabad High Court judgment, which clearly describes that there is no any stay order against opening Study centres of AMU outside Aligarh. Further, Khursheed told that the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) does not have an active Vice Chancellor so the matter of AMU Kishanganj is pending with Ministry of HRD for President’s approval and other formalities. Again the AMU Convenor interrupted that the former VC of AMU Prof PK Abdul Azis had already written to MHRD to fulfill the formalities regarding AMU Centre in Kishanganj, hence as of now there is no any need to get the fresh request from the Vice Chancellor of University.
AMUCC members meet UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandh over AMU Kishanganj issue on 23rd March 2012 in New Delhi
It should be noted that the Visitor’s approval and fund allocation for AMU Centre in Kishanganj formalities can be fulfilled only with the involvement of Union Ministry of HRD. However, Kapil Sibal is not at all interested on the proposal of establishment of AMU Centre in Kishanganj. The reason behind Sibal’s negligent approach towards the proposed Centre in Bihar’s north-eastern district is not clear. Meanwhile, the AMUCC delegates urged the Cabinet Minister to have a talk with Kapil Sibal to take action on the pending issues and fulfillment of official formalities, informed Alam.
After meeting with Congress Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, veteran leader Oscar Fernandes, HRD minister Kapil Sibal and now Law Minister and minority affairs minister Salman Khurshid, the AMUCC group has doubts about the intention of Central Government about the proposed centre of AMU. Two centres of AMU are already functioning at Mallapuram (Kerala) and Murshidabad (West Bengal), but why the same UPA government is not giving any attention to AMU Centre in Bihar, it is big question, says Mudassir Alam adding that the AMU Centre in Kishanganj was a principal agenda for Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi during their election campaigns in Bihar in 2010.
The AMUCC delegation led by Convenor Mohammad Aslam had Mohammad Mudassir Alam, Khalid Mubashshir, Soban M Ahmad, Rashid Ahmad, Tauqir Alam, Zamir Iqbal, Jawed Iqbal, Jahangir Alam, Murteza Iqbal, Wasim Akhtar and Nasim Alam.