By MM Special Correspondent,
New Delhi: A group of more than 100 ex-students of Jamia Millia Islamia has asked the Shaikhul Jamia (Vice Chancellor) Prof. Talat Ahmad to withdraw invitation sent to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to address annual convocation of the historic institution which was established to protect secular ethos of the country and to oppose the communal politics of the then Muslim League. While attaching a video link on You Tube, they said Modi dubbed Jamia Millia Islamia as sanctuary of terrorists. They wondered what message the VC wants to convey by inviting him who had been part of vilification campaign against the Jamia.
In a request letter sent to the Shaikhul Jamia and registrar on Friday, the ex-students group expressed deep anguish and shocked over the invitation extended to Narendra Modi who is requested to be the chief guest at the annual convocation of this year.
The letter stated that:
“We are anguished and shocked because, he is along with his party members, having been constantly involved in spreading rumors and hatred about Jamia Miliilia Islamia.
Let us share with you a video of September 2008 (it can be seen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKrvvcr8fss) of Mr. Modi, in which he can be clearly seen misleading people during an election rally in Gujarat. We say, “rumors and hatred” because, his implied claim that, by providing legal aid to its students accused of being terrorists, Jamia is protecting terrorists, is nothing but a bunch of lies and totally based on the intention to target a particular community ?(do we need to name it?) and defame Jamia.
The simple fact is that, public or Jamia money, as claimed by Mr. Modi and his party members, was never used for providing legal aid to the students, who are yet to be proved guilty of anything, forget about the charge of terrorism. Jamia records will tell you that, if any money was used towards legal aid for the students, it was money from student welfare fund and amount collected by the students from the people of Jamia Nagar”.
Ex-students said the statement and stand by then VC and his act of standing by its students are concerned, they firmly believe that it was the need of hour and by doing so he only fulfilled his duty as the vice chancellor of the University.
“It was a very courageous and prudent step on his part. We can say so with a great degree of confidence because many of us were students or fresh graduates of Jamia at that point of time and there was a vicious campaign going on to tarnish the image of Jamia.
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This led to an environment, where every student of Jamia or its ex-student was seen with suspicion of being a potential terrorist. To understand the gravity of the situation, we would request you to go through the archives of newspapers, magazines and news bulletins of that time apart from the convocation address of 2008, delivered by late U R Ananthamurthy”.
They defended the then vice chancellor, Prof. Mushirul Hasan saying if he had not taken the stand he took and to which Mr. Modi is referring in his speech, the situation would have even been worse. Moreover, despite clarifications from Jamia authorities, Mr. Modi never apologized for misleading people. Not only that, his party and its prominent members (not ‘fringe elements’) vilified Jamia and still continue doing so to further their divisive agenda.
“You may recall that in December 2008 Delhi assembly elections, BJP put out an advisement with the title “Jamia University funds to defend terror accused”.
They underlined that none less than the Election commission taking notice of it and stating, “The Vice Chancellor of the Jamia University has categorically stated that no fund of the institute was being used for the alleged purpose and that the students of the University were themselves raising funds,” the EC said. But even that did not put an end to the vilification campaign against Jamia.
Last year, ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, BJP senior leader, V K Malhotra said, “Jamia, Batla safe houses for terrorists”
The letter further said: “You (VC) may argue that, we have not invited him as a member of a particular party but as the Prime Minster of India. You are right, but partially. But today, Modi is the face of the party and the government.
They asserted that Modi’s track record does not deserve to address annual convocation or at least he should be asked to render a public apology about his own malicious and incorrect statement before he attends the convocation.
The letter was signed by Asad Ashraf, Mahtab Alam, Samarth Pathak, Rameez Raja, Sagnik Banerjee, Abhishek Roy, Mazin Khan, Preetika Nanda, and others.