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| VC CU: Congress MP takes up the Jammu cause in parliament | | | RUSTAM
EARLY TIMES REPORT
JAMMU, Apr 29: The widespread resentment in Jammu over the reported decision of the authorities in Delhi to "impose" former Vice-Chancellor of Jammu University Prof Amitabh Mattoo on the Central University in Jammu as its first Vice-Chancellor has had its impact on the state unit of the Congress party. Convinced that the demand of the people of Jammu province regarding the appointment of a local academician as Vice-Chancellor of the Central University is genuine and popular, Congress MP from Udhampur-Kathua parliamentary constituency Lal Singh has joined hands with the protagonists of a local Vice-Chancellor and very strongly urged the parliament to respect the sentiments of the people of Jammu province. Reports emanating from Delhi suggest that Lal Singh took up this issue in the parliament in a big way on Wednesday and warned the authorities that to overlook the Jammu sentiment would be to play with fire and provoke widespread protests across Jammu province. According to sources close to him, he told the parliament that the "authorities are bent upon destroying Jammu province and creating a situation that would force the people of the province to come on the roads to fight out the anti-Jammu policies being pursued by the authorities". Same sources have revealed that Lal Singh pleaded the cause of the people of Jammu province very "forcefully and convincingly" and told the parliament that "there is no dearth of qualified persons in the Jammu province" and that the "decision of the authorities to appoint yet another outsider as Vice-Chancellor of the Central University in Jammu, if implemented, would boomerang".
Sources further disclosed that "Lal Singh had expressed himself against the fact that none of the Vice-Chancellors of the seven universities in the state is from Jammu province, as also against the fact that while five out of the seven Vice-Chancellors hail from Kashmir, the remaining two are different parts of India". "This is something insulting and totally unacceptable", he had, according to the same sources, told the parliament.
The plunge taken by the Congress MP has given a new twist to the ongoing struggle in Jammu aimed at ensuring the appointment of a Jammu-based academician as Vice-Chancellor of the Central University. It has strengthened the hands of those carrying on the struggle.
This is not the first time that the Congress MP has taken up the Jammu cause. He had taken up the Jammu cause in a big way at the first round table conference as well, which was organized by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at his official residence, 7 Race Course, New Delhi. He had not only pleaded the Jammu cause, but had also condemned the votaries of autonomy, self-rule and independence and the critics of the Indian army and paramilitary forces. He had done so in the presence of the NC, PDP and Congress stalwarts and senior ministers. Hence, his jumping into the fray this time again should not surprise anybody. It appears others in the Congress party and the BJP, which otherwise is known for its anti-Jammu credentials, would follow suit and persuade the authorities to revise their decision in the light of the fast-deteriorating situation in Jammu.
The authorities in Delhi would do well to make up their mind without losing a single moment. The patience of the people of Jammu province is nearing its end. The sooner the authorities recognize this fact the better. It would be foolish to make the appointment of an "outsider" as Vice-Chancellor of the Central University as a prestige issue. Why should the authorities insist on appointing Prof Amitabh Mattoo as Vice-Chancellor whose own community has disowned it on the ground that his political views are against the "national interest"?
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