BJP asks J&K Lt. Governor to bar admission of Muslim students at Mata Vaishno Devi varsity, evokes sharp reaction

Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor (L-G) Manoj Sinha has accepted a memorandum of the BJP seeking to scrap the MBBS admission list, which has maximum Muslim qualifiers, and reserve all the seats for Hindus at the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University (SMVDU), Katra. The move has evoked sharp reactions from J&K parties, including the ruling National Conference (NC).

A five-member BJP delegation, headed by senior BJP leader Sunil Sharma, who is also the Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Assembly, met Mr. Sinha at the Raj Bhavan in Jammu on Saturday evening. The delegation sought Mr. Sinha’s intervention to amend the rules of the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board and reserve the seats in the university for only Hindus.

“Most students in the admission list are from one particular community this year. We protested against it. The varsity is a religious institution and people have faith and beliefs attached to it. Every devotee donates to this religious institution with a wish to see the promotion of their faith. However, the Board as well as the varsity have not considered the faith. We made it clear to the L-G that only those who have faith in Mata Vaishno Devi should get admission,” Mr. Sharma said.

‘Divisive memorandum’

The BJP and several right-wing parties in Jammu are up in arms against the admission list, in which 42 of the 50 qualified students are Muslims. “This year’s admission list is not acceptable to us. We have sought changes in the rules of the admission process. Only those who could establish devotional values should be allowed admission,” Mr. Sharma added.

The move of the L-G, who is also the Chairman of the Board, evoked sharp reactions from several political parties. “It is unfortunate that the L-G has accepted such a divisive and communal memorandum. Across the country, students of all religions study in minority institutions. Many Hindu students study at the Aligarh Muslim University and the same is true of the Jamia Millia Islamia. No one raised an objection to that ever,” NC spokesperson Imran Nabi Dar said.

Another NC leader and legislator Tanvir Sadiq accused the BJP of “communalising institutions” and “dividing society”. “If hospitals, schools, universities, and medical colleges start deciding intake on the basis of religion, what kind of country will we become? Tomorrow, will a patient be treated according to their faith? Will merit be pushed aside to satisfy majoritarian demands? This is a recipe for disaster,” Mr. Sadiq said.

‘Communalising education’

He said the BJP’s stance on the admissions, where selections are merit-based, was not just misguided but also dangerous. “A shrine-funded institution does not become a religion-based institution. Donations made in devotion cannot be converted into tools of discrimination. For your petty political gains, do not turn our institutions into battlegrounds of faith. You are planting a time bomb that, if goes off, will create a divide no one will ever be able to fix. Communalising health and education is fundamentally wrong. It harms society today and destroys the nation tomorrow. This toxic politics must stop before an irreparable damage is done,” Mr. Sadiq said.

Opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti termed the BJP’s move as “shameful”. “In Naya Kashmir, discrimination towards Muslims now also extends to education. The irony being that this anti-Muslim apartheid is being legitimised and carried out in India’s only Muslim majority State with its only Muslim Chief Minister,” Ms. Mufti said.

J&K Peoples Conference (JKPC) president Sajad Lone said the BJP was experimenting with the concept of communalising medical sciences. “There is a proper admission test called NEET and that is an all-India test. The finest brains in the country sit for that exam and those who get selected work hard to become a doctor. The finest brains go even further. They become a part of research and come up with new ideas to defeat diseases. We need to get the best brains and enable a culture of research and innovation. Medical science needs researchers not religious zealots,” Mr. Lone said.