AMU not minority institution, must follow reservation policy: RSS

June 18, 2016 22:02

Asserting that Aligarh Muslim University is not a minority institution, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh on Saturday said the varsity is committing a "big crime" by not implementing the policy of reservation for SCs, STs and OBCs.

RSS joint general secretary Krishna Gopal said the National Democratic Alliance government's stand on the issue of AMU's minority status was in sync with that of previous governments, barring the United Progressive Alliance dispensation, and an order by the apex court in 1968.

The NDA government had told the Supreme Court in April that it would withdraw the appeal filed by the erstwhile UPA government challenging the Allahabad high court verdict holding AMU as non-minority institution.

"The Centre took the stand which was the position of Maulana Azad, (HRD Minister) M C Chagla, (Saiyid) Nurul Hasan. At that time, all the (then) three Prime Ministers Jawharlal Nehru, Lal Bahadur Shastri and Indira Gandhi were also there. Our stand is similar to the decision of the Supreme Court. We did not change the decision, it was done in 2005 by the UPA.

"So, the present central government has not taken any new decision. They have taken the same decision which was given by a bench of five judges of the Supreme Court in 1968. It's the same decision taken by the Constituent Assembly, which had Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, Maulana Azad and several Muslim leaders," Gopal said.

He was speaking on a day-long workshop on 'National Reservation Policy and Aligarh Muslim University', which was attended by several BJP MPs and MLAs.

The issue assumes significance as BJP is raising the issue in view of Uttar Pradesh assembly polls where the party is seeking to repeat its Lok Sabha performance when it won 71 of the state's 80 seats.

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