CM dividing society by linking politics with faith: BJP
Jammu, Nov 26: J&K Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Wednesday accused the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah of “politicising and communalising” the issue of SMVDIME admissions and thus “dividing the society by bringing politics in the matter of faith.”
The accusation was made by the J&K BJP chief spokesperson Sunil Sethi joined by incharge media relations J&K BJP Abhinav Sharma and spokespersons Ankur Sharma and Zorawar Singh in a press conference at the party headquarter in Jammu.
They assured that the party was endeavouring to find a balancing solution which would satisfy the Hindu society as the matter involved their faith and would also protect the legal rights of meritorious Muslim students who secured admission in SMVDIME.
In the same breath, they demanded that the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University Act, 1999 should be revisited by the legislature to address this issue for once and all.
Criticising the Chief Minister in particular, for his recent statements on the issue, Sethi said that the faith of Hindus society was being questioned in case of admissions in Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence (SMVDIME).
“Attempts by NC, PDP, Congress are being made to divide the society on the issue as a matter of faith is being linked with politics. Particularly Omar Abdullah Sahib is behaving as if he is the Chief Minister of a particular community and not that of all communities of entire J&K. Instead of offering a rational solution acceptable to all, he is making provocative statements,” Sethi said.
He pointed out that out of 50, 42 students, selected for admission in the medical college established and funded by the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Ji Shrine Board, are from that religion, which has no faith in Mata Vaishno Devi.
“Genuinely, there is anger and resentment among the Hindus that their donation should be used on the community which has faith in the deity,” Sethi stated.
He cautioned against “politicising or communalising the matter” by the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah by projecting it as a Hindu-Muslim conflict.
Sethi accused the Chief Minister of resorting to the politics “blackmailing, fear-mongering.”
“This will not be acceptable and it will not be tolerated. If anyone joins the Al-Falah university with an objective to become a suicide bomber, the country has enough and stringent laws to deal with that. I’ve another question for the Chief Minister – what did he mean by saying if the students did not get admission in SMVDIME, they would go to Bangladesh and Turkey. Why he named only those two countries – Bangladesh and Turkey which have an inimical relationship with India. His feelings against the country have come to the fore- I would say,” the J&K BJP chief spokesperson said.
He stated that Sangharsh Samiti, students and other members of Hindu community needed not to agitate on this issue. “We respect the sentiments of Samiti, student community and other sections. BJP is making all out efforts to find a logical solution to this fight between the faith and legal rights. We assure you to come out with a balancing resolution,” Sethi said.
He said the sensitivities associated with Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Ji Shrine, being a revered Hindu religious institution, must be respected. At the same time, he added that “the rights of the selected candidates can be protected through several available legal and administrative avenues,” urging responsible handling of the situation.
Abhinav Sharma pointed to what he called inadequate publicity of the admission process. According to him, limited dissemination of information deprived many meritorious Hindu students of an opportunity to opt for the college during counselling.
He alleged that the Chief Minister was “playing to the galleries of a particular political constituency,” and said that his remarks were “politically motivated rather than aimed at constructive resolution.”
Ankur Sharma too criticised the Chief Minister for, what he alleged, “mocking the sentiments of the Hindu community” by what he described as a “deriding and trivialising” response to the concerns raised.
Sharma argued that the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University Act, 1999 should be revisited by the legislature. He stated that the University and the upcoming medical college have their origins, funding, and institutional purpose rooted in the Hindu religious tradition, and therefore possess a distinct religious identity.
On that basis, he asserted that the Act could be amended by the competent authority to reflect and preserve this identity, including exploring legally viable provisions related to admissions consistent with the institution’s founding purpose. He emphasised that any such consideration must be within the constitutional and statutory framework.
Sethi and Ankur Sharma also criticised the Chief Minister for, what they alleged, “his statements justifying and rationalising terror.”
Zorawar Singh Jamwal described the Chief Minister’s verbal assault on the Leader of Opposition as “politically motivated.”
“BJP would continue to raise the concerns of the community while urging that the matter be approached with seriousness and sensitivity rather than politicisation,” he stated.
