Jamia Millia Islamia Students, Alumni Oppose PM Modi At Convocation
Withdraw convocation invite to Modi: Jamia alumni to VC
PTI | New Delhi | November 27, 2015
(File) Prime Minister Narendra Modi
An invitation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to be chief guest at Jamia Millia Islamia's annual convocation has triggered a controversy with a number of alumni demanding withdrawal of the invite, which the university has rejected.
Former students Asad Ashraf and Mahtab Alam have written to the Vice Chancellor a letter which has been endorsed by over 50 registered members of the alumni association of JMI. They said their demand was in view of the comments made by Modi against the varsity in 2008.
However, Jamia Spokesperson Mukesh Ranjan asserted that the invite will not be withdrawn.
"Jamia has been inviting constitutional authorities for its convocation since its inception. Similarly, an invite has been extended to the Prime Minister because of him being a constitutional authority who has also been elected by the people of India," he said.
"The students or the alumni are free to have their opinion in the democratic country but we are looking forward to host Modi at the university and will announce the convocation date as soon as we get a suitable time from him," Ranjan added.
In the letter, the former students said, "We are writing to you to express our deep anguish and grief on your invitation to Narendra Modi to be the chief guest at annual convocation. We are anguished and shocked because, he along with his party members, has been constantly involved in spreading rumours and hatred about the university.
"We have a very simple request to you, withdraw the invitation or at least ask him to render a public apology about his own malicious and incorrect statement before he attends the convocation."
Jamia had earlier this month sent the invite to Modi. However, the varsity is yet to receive any acceptance or acknowledgment from the PMO in this regard.
Modi had attacked Jamia in 2008 after the Batla House encounter in September that year.
Addressing a gathering in Gujarat, he had said, "There is a university in Delhi called Jamia Millia Islamia. It has publicly announced that it will foot the legal fee of terrorists involved in act. Go drown yourself. This Jamia Millia is being run on government money and it is daring to spend money on lawyers to get terrorists out of jail. When will this vote bank politics end?"
Modi's comments had come following a statement by then Jamia VC Mushirul Hasan that the university would offer legal aid to two of its students arrested for their suspected involvement in terror activities.
The letter by the alumni also quotes senior BJP senior leader V. K. Malhotra's comments made ahead of Lok Sabha polls last year that "Jamia and Batla are safe houses for terrorists".
The letter further states that, "Modi's comments had led to an environment, where every student of Jamia or its ex- student was seen with suspicion of being potential terrorists".
(File) Prime Minister Narendra Modi
An invitation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to be chief guest at Jamia Millia Islamia's annual convocation has triggered a controversy with a number of alumni demanding withdrawal of the invite, which the university has rejected.
Former students Asad Ashraf and Mahtab Alam have written to the Vice Chancellor a letter which has been endorsed by over 50 registered members of the alumni association of JMI. They said their demand was in view of the comments made by Modi against the varsity in 2008.
However, Jamia Spokesperson Mukesh Ranjan asserted that the invite will not be withdrawn.
"Jamia has been inviting constitutional authorities for its convocation since its inception. Similarly, an invite has been extended to the Prime Minister because of him being a constitutional authority who has also been elected by the people of India," he said.
"The students or the alumni are free to have their opinion in the democratic country but we are looking forward to host Modi at the university and will announce the convocation date as soon as we get a suitable time from him," Ranjan added.
In the letter, the former students said, "We are writing to you to express our deep anguish and grief on your invitation to Narendra Modi to be the chief guest at annual convocation. We are anguished and shocked because, he along with his party members, has been constantly involved in spreading rumours and hatred about the university.
"We have a very simple request to you, withdraw the invitation or at least ask him to render a public apology about his own malicious and incorrect statement before he attends the convocation."
Jamia had earlier this month sent the invite to Modi. However, the varsity is yet to receive any acceptance or acknowledgment from the PMO in this regard.
Modi had attacked Jamia in 2008 after the Batla House encounter in September that year.
Addressing a gathering in Gujarat, he had said, "There is a university in Delhi called Jamia Millia Islamia. It has publicly announced that it will foot the legal fee of terrorists involved in act. Go drown yourself. This Jamia Millia is being run on government money and it is daring to spend money on lawyers to get terrorists out of jail. When will this vote bank politics end?"
Modi's comments had come following a statement by then Jamia VC Mushirul Hasan that the university would offer legal aid to two of its students arrested for their suspected involvement in terror activities.
The letter by the alumni also quotes senior BJP senior leader V. K. Malhotra's comments made ahead of Lok Sabha polls last year that "Jamia and Batla are safe houses for terrorists".
The letter further states that, "Modi's comments had led to an environment, where every student of Jamia or its ex- student was seen with suspicion of being potential terrorists".
JNU Students Oppose Invite To Ramdev To Speak At Meet
http://www.ndtv.com/delhi-news/jnu-students-oppose-invite-to-ramdev-to-speak-at-meet-1259590
Terming the move a "silent right-wing onslaught" on JNU, the students have asked university officials to withdraw their invitation to the yoga guru to attend the '22nd International Congress of Vedanta' or face protests.
NEW DELHI: A group of students at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) In New Delhi has come out against a move by the varsity to invite Yoga guru Ramdev to deliver the keynote address at an event which is being co-organised by it.
Terming the move a "silent right-wing onslaught" on JNU, the students have asked university officials to withdraw their invitation to the yoga guru to attend the '22nd International Congress of Vedanta' or face protests.
The convention -- organised by the university's Special Center for Sankrit Studies in collaboration with the Institute of Advanced Sciences, Dartmouth, USA and the Center for Indic Studies, University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth -- will go on from December 27 to December 30.
Ramdev has been invited to deliver the key-note address on December 30.
"It is very unfortunate to know that JNU has allowed 'Baba' Ramdev to be invited as a keynote speaker in the Valedictory Ceremony of the Congress of Vedanta."
"It does not befit the stature of an academic institution like JNU to have persons with such a questionable background to address an academic gathering," said Shehla Rashid Shora, vice-president of the JNU students' union.
Flaying Ramdev, the students charged that the invitation to him takes JNU "several steps back".
The students also said that Ramdev's presence at the meet does not make any sense as he is neither an academician nor a professor and hence the university should withdraw its proposal to invite him.
The university spokesperson, meanwhile, was not available for comments on the issue.
Terming the move a "silent right-wing onslaught" on JNU, the students have asked university officials to withdraw their invitation to the yoga guru to attend the '22nd International Congress of Vedanta' or face protests.
The convention -- organised by the university's Special Center for Sankrit Studies in collaboration with the Institute of Advanced Sciences, Dartmouth, USA and the Center for Indic Studies, University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth -- will go on from December 27 to December 30.
Ramdev has been invited to deliver the key-note address on December 30.
"It does not befit the stature of an academic institution like JNU to have persons with such a questionable background to address an academic gathering," said Shehla Rashid Shora, vice-president of the JNU students' union.
Flaying Ramdev, the students charged that the invitation to him takes JNU "several steps back".
The students also said that Ramdev's presence at the meet does not make any sense as he is neither an academician nor a professor and hence the university should withdraw its proposal to invite him.
The university spokesperson, meanwhile, was not available for comments on the issue.
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