AMU Reservation

‘A politically motivated decision’

The English translation of the original letter addressed in Hindi to the President of India by Shri Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, BJP Vice-President, as a member of the Aligarh Muslim University Court.

21-5-2005

Respected Rashtrapatiji,

It is a matter of deep anguish and concern for me and millions of Indians including Muslims that the Union Government has made provision for 50% reservation in various courses at the AMU. We feel concerned not because Congress has resorted to derive benefit from its old rusted ploy of appeasing the minorities, but because of their politically motivated unconstitutional decision whichwould have dangerous repercussions on social, educational and financial progress of Muslims in India.

While on the one hand, the Congress-led Government has put a big question mark on the credible acceptability of an institution of repute like the AMU, on the other hand this unconstitutional and hasty decision reflects a larger conspiracy to keep out the Muslim community from the mainstream of developmental process of the nation. This decision has raised a number of apprehensions regarding its disastrous consequences.

How the people in general and the Placement Agencies in particular would view the students, and degrees granted by an educational institute that provides for 75% communal reservation? Would the Placement Agencies prefer and accept students passing out from institution that grants admission sheerly on communal basis?

Would this decision not arouse sentiment against the very fundamentals of the Indian Constitution, and as well vitiate communal harmony?

Would this politically motivated decision not be an hurdle in young Muslims joining the mainstream of progress?

HRD Minister himself has admitted that he was not sure whether his decision was legally valid or not, and said that the issue could be decided only by a court of law. Obviously this dubious remark is a cleaver political gimmick. As a consequence to this decision other educational institutions could well say that why should they admit Muslim students to their institution as they enjoyed preferential reservation at AMU.

Would it be wrong to say that this decision has converted a reputed educational institution like the Aligarh Muslim University into an 'Aligarh Muslim Madarasa'?

Thousands questions haunt public mind. It is painful to observe that the HRD minister has justified his indiscreat communal decision as a step towards strengthening the autonomous status of reputed educational institutes in the country. Similar justifications were trotted out by some splintered minds with regard to Muslims during pre-partition period.

Honorable President Sir, as you are the upholder of the Constitution of India and a Guardian to India's secular fabric, I seek your intervention in this regard. I fore-see the horrible outcomes of the hurried step of the Congress to regain its lost ground. Congress has never cared nor does it now care about evil effects of its appeasement policy on the social, financial and educational interests of the minorities. It only wanted to exploit illiteracy, unemployment and poverty prevailing among them for its political objectives.

Rashtrapatiji, I earnestly seek your intervention to revert this unconstitutional, communal reservation planned by Union Government. As a member of the Aligrah Muslim University Court, I sincerely feel that it was against my faith, the Indian Constitution and India's secular structure that religion be the criteria to identify talent. I hereby appeal to you Sir, to kindly intervene and revert back this decision.

With due regards,

(Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi)
Member, Aligarh Muslim University Court