Jammu, Jan 6, : Visibly furious, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday came down heavily on the BJP and the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Sangharsh Samiti over protests against MBBS admissions at the SMVD Institute of Medical Excellence, asserting that the students admitted to the institution have qualified purely on merit and not due to any favour.
Reacting sharply to the protests in Jammu, Omar said the agitation was unjustified and dangerous. “Protest for what? These students have earned their medical seats through hard work. Nobody has done them any favour,” he said. He added that if the protesters do not want those students to study at the institute, they should be accommodated elsewhere. “Given the prevailing situation, I do not think those students would want to continue their education in such an environment,” he remarked.
Speaking as a parent, Omar said he would never prefer his child to study at an institution where politics and hostility dominate academic life. He asked the Government of India and the Health Ministry to shift the students to other medical colleges, stating that education cannot be allowed to suffer due to political and religious agendas.
“We will not allow students to study at a place where politics is being played. Shut down that medical college. It does not deserve to be opened. We do not need such a medical college,” the Chief Minister said in an unusually hard toned attack.
Turning his guns on the BJP, Omar accused the party of creating chaos by turning Ladakh into a Union Territory and warned against repeating the same experiment in Jammu. “They could not handle Ladakh and now they want to destroy Jammu. Do whatever you want, but please do not destroy Jammu and Kashmir,” he said.
Omar as per the news agency Kashmir News Trust said the BJP views every issue through the prism of religion, alleging that education, sports and health are also being communalized. “They have no agenda, so now they want to separate Jammu. Everywhere they bring religion,” he said.
On the issue of reservation, Omar told reporters to seek answers from the Lieutenant Governor. “Go to the LG’s house and ask him what happened to the Cabinet Sub Committee report. We submitted it. Now it is up to the LG,” he said.
The Chief Minister described restoration of full statehood as a major challenge, saying even holding the budget session is not easy under the present circumstances. He declined to comment on the regularization of daily wagers, stating that it would be premature to speculate on what would be discussed in the budget session.
Omar also defended Bangladesh star cricketer Mustafizur Rehman, saying he had nothing to do with politics and that his removal from IPL was not desired by the team but was forced by circumstances. Taking a swipe at international politics, Omar said that if anyone had grievances with Bangladesh, they should take them up at the appropriate level and not drag individuals into political controversies
