Aligarh: A fresh controversy is brewing in the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) with its Vice Chancellor (V-C) Zameeruddin Shah on the collision course with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the celebration of birth anniversary of Raja Mahendra Pratap, a freedom fighter, who apparently had donated land to the university.
The controversy arose when the BJP asked the university to celebrate the birth anniversary of Raja Mahendra Pratap. But the V-C does want to observe the day saying there were several donors and it was not possible for the university to celebrate the birth anniversaries of all of them. Secondly, the V-C said Raja Mahendra Pratap had not donated but, in fact, had given a piece of land to the university on lease.
"There are hundreds of donors, we can't go on celebrating days of donors," the V-C said. The AMU has rejected the claims made by BJP and had approached the Union HRD Ministry to prevent politics from trickling into the matter. The HRD Minister is yet to reply to the letter.
The BJP is not in a mood to accept AMU's stand. It is adamant on celebrating the Raja Mahendra Pratap's birth anniversary in the university campus. "If the V-C celebrates the anniversary of the king, we welcome it. Otherwise, our party will celebrate the anniversary inside the AMU campus. AMU must celebrate anniversary of the person who donate it land," BJP leader Satish Gautam said.
A meeting between the V-C and the leaders of BJP and student wing ABVP took place on Thursday in this concern. The VC responding to the controversy said, "I don't oppose the celebrations and we ourselves had offered to celebrate Raja Mahendra Pratap's at a pre-decided venue."
"From last several days, BJP elements are threatening that they will celebrate Raja Ji's birthday at AMU gate that has potential to create communal tension in the university and I don't want student to suffer. The said land was on land deed and it was not gifted, but we recognized Raja Ji's contributions. I have written to HRD Minister on this issue. We don't want tension; maintaining law and order is my priority," the V-C said.
"We do not have any records of the king donating land to the university. He gave some land to a school which after the Supreme Court verdict came down to us," added AMU professor Mohammad Abrar.
Union HRD Minister Smriti Irani, however, said that she was yet to receive a letter from the varsity. "As of last night I have not received any such letter," she said.
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