The Hindu : Other States / Uttar Pradesh News : Minister withdraws name from Jauhar varsity bill

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Wednesday, May 11, 2005

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Minister withdraws name from Jauhar varsity bill

`Defeated in fight against those opposed to uplift of the minorities'

LUCKNOW: The Uttar Pradesh Urban Development Minister, Mohammad Azam Khan, today withdrew his name as the lifetime pro-chancellor from the proposed Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar university bill, pending before the Governor for approval.

In a letter addressed to the Chief Minister, Mulayam Singh Yadav, Mr Khan sought to withdraw his name from the bill for setting up the proposed university in the government sector at Rampur, sent to the Raj Bhawan for approval in November 2004.

Addressing a press conference here, Mr Khan said that he was defeated in the fight against the Congress and others, who stood against the uplift of the minorities.

He said that a suggestion was also made to the state government to bring an ordinance to scrap his name from the bill after an approval by the state cabinet.

However, the minister made it clear that he would continue his fight to set up a similar university at Rampur in the private sector for which 100 acres of land had already been purchased by the Mohammad Ali Jauhar Trust. He skipped almost all the questions of the mediapersons and even kept mum on the role of the Samajwadi Party over the issue.

``I was forced to withdraw my name as no one came in my support the Congress had launched a tirade against me while Raj Bhawan had indirectly conveyed that they had objection on my name in the bill,'' he said.

``Congress had won the war waged against the minorities while the state government stood weak on the issue,'' he further claimed.

Meanwhile UP Congress spokesperson Akhilesh Pratap Singh in a statement said that his party had never opposed the setting up of the university.

The chronology of events

Earlier on April 19, 2005 Mr Khan had to submit a written apology to Governor T.V. Rajeswar in the presence of the Chief Minister for his derogatory remarks made on the Raj Bhawan over the bill.

With this bill, another bill for setting up Mohd. Ali Jauhar University in the private sector was also passed by the state legislature during the budget session, which was also pending before the Governor. The Governor had already sent the first bill to the President for suggestions on the name of Mr Khan as lifetime pro-chancellor of the proposed varsity.

Earlier, the Governor had written two letters in April, 2005 to Mr Yadav regarding Mr Khan's reported comments, which were ``tantamount to a breach of the oath of secrecy under Article 164 (Schedule three) of the Constitution.''

In the first letter of April 13, the Governor referred to leaking to the press the copy of letter of his Principal Secretary to the Principal Secretary (Law) on March 29. The copies were reportedly distributed by Mr Khan to the media.

The second letter listed the various derogatory remarks against the Raj Bhawan since August, 2004. The Chief Minister had replied and met the Governor on April 17 claiming his ministerial colleague (Mr Khan) had not distributed copies of the letter to the media.

In reply to the Governor's second letter, Mr Yadav in his said, ``at no point did Mr Khan use intemperate, immoderate, contemptuous language with any object or design to violate the constitutional conventions against the Governor, who is the constitutional head of the state and occupies a dignified constitutional office.''

On Novermber 29, 2004 the state government brought the Maulana Jauhar varsity bill in the assembly with the Congress along with the BJP and the BSP opposing nomination of state Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mohd Azam Khan as a lifetime pro-chancellor of the proposed varsity to be set up at Rampur.

The university is supposed to be developed as a hi-tech institution for specialisation in medicine, engineering and other studies.

Earlier, the SP had to defer the bill following objection by state Governor T.V. Rajeshwar on August 6, 2004 and later on November 17 the government deferred it without any clarification. Congress legislature party leader Pramod Tiwari said they were not opposed to the university but would not allow any person to become a lifetime pro-chancellor.

Meanwhile, BJP state president Kesri Nath Tripathi said his party was totally opposed to setting up of a separate university for minorities. Mr Tripathi, the former Speaker of UP assembly, observed if the post of a lifetime pro-chancellor was indeed required, it should be given to an educationist rather than a politician. ``By setting up university on communal lines, the UP government would force division in the society leading to resentment among the majority community,'' he claimed.

On August 6, the government abruptly withdrew the Bill from the monsoon session of assembly after the Governor objected to nominating Mr Khan as lifetime pro-chancellor.

- UNI

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