North India Statesman
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News India Live, Digital Desk: Jammu University is once again at the center of controversies. Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) has opened its front against the inclusion of Pakistan’s founder Mohammad Ali Jinnah in the new syllabus issued by the Department of Political Science. On Friday, students demonstrated strongly in the university campus and raised slogans against the administration. The students clearly say that teaching the person who divided the country along with Indian great men is absolutely not acceptable.
Jinnah with Gandhi-Patel? Students said it was an insult to the sentiments of the country.
The main protest of the protesting students is that in the new syllabus, Mohammad Ali Jinnah is being taught on par with national heroes like Mahatma Gandhi, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and Dr. BR Ambedkar. ABVP workers allege that the move is not only misleading but also an insult to leaders who have sacrificed for the integrity of the country. Students argue that Jinnah never represented the minorities of India, but divided the country by giving the Two-Nation Theory.
‘If you want to teach minorities then choose Indian heroes, not divisive thinking’
During the protest, student leaders demanded that if minority discourse or their issues are to be included in the curriculum, then space should be given to India’s minority communities and their leaders who have contributed to nation building. The students warned that an attempt was being made to promote ‘Pakistani thinking’ through the chapter on Jinnah in the syllabus, which would create confusion about history in the minds of the youth.
University administration’s clarification: ‘Study does not mean support’
Seeing the growing controversy, the Jammu University administration has issued a clarification presenting its stand. The university says that inclusion of any personality or topic in the curriculum does not imply its endorsement, but is merely a part of academic study and research. It is important for students of political science to read different perspectives to understand the partition and the circumstances of that period. However, students do not seem satisfied with this argument of the administration.
Warning to intensify agitation, atmosphere of tension in the campus
ABVP has given an ultimatum to the university administration that if the chapter related to Jinnah is not removed immediately, then a fierce agitation will be launched in the coming days. Due to this controversy, it is feared that the academic environment of the university will be affected. From security point of view, deployment of police force in the campus can also be increased. Now it remains to be seen whether the university management bows to the pressure of the students or remains firm on its academic decision.
