Modi Praises AMU, BJP Leaders Malign It: Time to Shut Down Hate?

Speaking at the 100th anniversary of the Aligarh Muslim University, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said – “Those educated at AMU represent the diverse culture of India,” that AMU is a “mini-India.” But other Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders don’t think so... In 2019, BJP Lok Sabha MP from Aligarh Satish Gautam attacked AMU for having Jinnah’s portrait on its campus, ignoring the context that Jinnah was one of AMU’s founders. In 2015, Sunil Singh, the UP head of the Hindu Yuva Vahini, the Hindutva group founded by Yogi Adityanath, called AMU a "nursery of terror". Members of the Hindu Yuva Vahini even vandalised the AMU campus in 2018. In 2016, former Aligarh mayor and BJP leader Shakuntala Bharti made false allegations of beef being served in an AMU hostel. In February 2019, 14 AMU students were booked for sedition after a complaint filed by local BJP leader Mukesh Lodi, charges the police later quietly dropped. In 2018, both Yogi Adityanath and Central Social Justice Minister Thawar Chand Gehlot wrongly claimed that AMU was not a minority institution. BJP MP RS Katheria, Chairman of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes, while demanding clarity on the issue from AMU, said – “This is not Pakistan, AMU must follow rules” – betraying his bigotry. Yeh Jo India Hai Na… it is confused. Kya hai India ki soch ki asli tasveer? Tune in to the podcast! VO: Rohit Khanna Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices