BJP’s youth wing, The Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), has demanded a piece of land to construct a temple within the premises of the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) campus. In a letter addressed to AMU Vice-Chancellor Tariq Mansoor, BJYM’s district president Mukesh Singh Lodhi said that if the university fails to concede to their demands within 15 days, they would install an idol and begin the construction of the temple at a suitable site.
“We are confident that AMU would consider the demand considering the words of its founder Sir Sayed Ahmed Khan, who said that Hindu and Muslims are like two eyes of a person. We give 15 days to the university authorities to identify the land on the campus. If they fail to respond, on February 24, we will start constructing the temple on the campus on our own with the support of Hindu students,” Lodhi wrote in the letter. He further wrote that there are thousands of Hindu students studying in AMU, but there is no temple for them to worship. Adding that the temple will set an example for Hindu-Muslim unity he also said, ”Considering the sentiments of Hindu community students and Prime Minister’s mantra of ‘Sabka Sath Sabka Vikas’ you should approve the proposal for land for the construction of the temple”.
While talking to the media Lodhi said that the demand was also made earlier by the students in AMU, but apparently, the VC took it lightly and didn’t take any action in this regard. In December last year, Ajay Singh, an LLM student at AMU and grandson of Aligarh BJP MLA Dalveer Singh, had demanded the construction of a Saraswati temple inside the campus.
Leaders of AMU Students’ Union said that Lodhi’s threat was an attempt to disturb peace in the city and polarize voters, as the general elections are nearing.
Speaking to the media former AMUSU president Faizul Hasan said: “This is not a question of religious piety because there are a number of temples in the vicinity and there has never been any such issue since the university was established.” He also alleged that Lodhi’s threat is yet another attempt to malign AMU’s secular traditions merely for spreading ill will and strengthening the divisive forces. “We fully respect the religious sentiments of all students and are always sensitive to their genuine demands”, he said.
Interestingly, the youth wing’s demand comes only a few days after a fiasco on Republic Day, when the BJYM workers carrying the Indian flag, tried to enter the campus for “tiranga yatra” without seeking the permission of the AMU authorities to carry out the rally inside the campus. However, their entry was blocked by the university administration, which maintained that the mass gathering of students for a rally would have disturbed the classes ahead of exams.
Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on February 8, 2019, while addressing BJP booth workers meet in Maharajganj district of Eastern Uttar Pradesh targeted the AMU for not giving reservation to SC, ST, and OBC students or in the appointment of teachers and staff.
“The responsibility of an educational institution, which operates with the grants provided by the government of this country, is to ensure that SC, ST, and OBC get the benefit of schemes meant for them,” said Adityanath. “It is unfortunate that in one such institution in the country named Aligarh Muslim University, SC, ST and OBC students do not get admission through reservation there,” Yogi added.
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