Add thelocalreport.in As A Trusted Source
New Delhi, Nov 23 (IANS) Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind (JUH) president Maulana Arshad Madani has courted controversy with his claim that Muslims in India are ‘systematically deprived’ of leadership roles in universities.
BJP MP Praveen Khandelwal completely rejected Madani’s claim and said, “This statement of Maulana Madani is absolutely wrong. If you look across the country, there are many such important posts where Muslims are working with great dedication and honesty. People like Maulana Madani try to add communal color to such comments, do politics on it and mislead people. However, the country will never be misled.”
Comparing India with cities like New York and London, Madani had said that Muslims can become mayors in foreign countries but they are prevented from becoming vice-chancellors in Indian institutions.
Alleging that SP leader Azam Khan and Al-Falah University were examples of ‘discrimination’, Madani said, ‘The government has worked to stop Muslims from growing since independence… The courage of Muslims has been broken.’
Supporting Madani’s claims, Congress leader Udit Raj argued that the issue extends beyond Muslims, saying, “Dalits and OBCs are also affected. Nearly 40 central universities exist, yet not a single Dalit has become a vice-chancellor.”
Countering Madani’s claims, JD(U) spokesperson Neeraj Kumar cited the example of Faizan Mustafa to show that Muslims play leadership roles.
Highlighting constitutional rights and examples of Muslim leadership, Neeraj Kumar said, “Everyone has the right to hold office in the Constitution of this country. What Maulana said should be understood. If we take the example of Bihar, it is a role model. Chanakya Institute has a national ranking. Faizan Mustafa is the chairperson of Chanakya National Law University.”
However, Congress spokesperson Surendra Rajput said, “There is no Muslim vice-chancellor in any central university in our country. The government should answer why this is so. Is there no Muslim scholar in this country except Aligarh Muslim University? But it is wrong to take this as a point and try to politicize Al-Falah. The investigation that the NIA is doing should be ongoing; whoever has funded terror should be exposed before the law.”
–IANS
rs/svn