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| Jammu illiterate: JU a white elephant | | | Rustam
JAMMU, Mar 16: The issue of appointment of Vice-Chancellor of the Central University of Jammu again rocked the Assembly yesterday. The BJP, the Panthers Party and the Jammu State Morcha MLAs raked up the issue and demanded the appointment of a local academician as Vice-Chancellor of the sanctioned Central University, which is still to be set up. (The Central University of Kashmir became functional some two years ago.) They accused the State Government of not taking interest in the matter, thus playing with the career of the Jammu youth and discriminating with Jammu. Unable to evoke a favourable response from the government, they staged a walkout to register their unhappiness over the manner the State Government has handled the issue that, they said, is very dear to the people of Jammu.
They walked out of the House because the response of the government was not just provocative but it was also insulting. In fact, what the government said on the issue could be construed as a deliberate affront to the self-respect of the people of Jammu province in general and the academic fraternity in particular. It could also be construed as a deliberate taunt. That it was an affront to the self-respect of the people of Jammu and that the official response was also coupled with a virtual taunt could be seen from what the Chief Minister said on the floor of the House. He said: The delay has been caused because the "Jammu politicians have politicized the issue." "While you had no problem having a particular person (Read Amitabh Mattoo) as Vice-Chancellor of Jammu University, you played politics over the appointment of the same person as VC of Central University…You want a Dogra VC that too from a particular area and are politicizing the issue…Give me a name of capable and befitting person, I will pursue at the Union Government level for his clearance within shortest possible time," he said.
The meaning of what the Chief Minister said was loud and clear: Competent academician is not available in Jammu and, hence, the delay. What the Chief Minister said must make the irresponsible BJP, the Panthers Pary and JSM MLAs to sit up and review their whole stand on the issue. This is imperative because the University of Jammu, which was established in 1969 after a prolonged struggle by the Jammu youth that had also resulted in the death of at least four young and bright students, has failed to produce a single academician who could be considered for the post of the Vice-Chancellor. In fact, what they need to do is to demand the closure of the University of Jammu or its merger with the University of Kashmir, which has produced innumerable competent and capable academicians and administrators. Another option is ask the State Government to appoint someone from Kashmir as Vice-Chancellor of Jammu University so that this university is also able to produce competent academicians and able administrators. As of now, the University of Jammu is no more than a white elephant and it is a crime against the people of Jammu province to feed this failed institution.
As for the so-called academic fraternity in Jammu, it should also stop day-dreaming. It should not hope to get what it doesn't deserve at all. It should work hard to compete with the competent Kashmiri academicians or Kashmiri academicians of repute, who are not only competent and capable of heading the Kashmir-based universities, but are also quite competent to lead the Central Universities across the country, including the Central University of Kashmir. The so-called Jammu-based academic fraternity has to introspect and find reasons why the Jammu-based universities are headed by persons who belong to either Kashmir or to other parts of the country.
If the Jammu-based academicians feel that they could not compete with their Kashmiri counterparts, then they have to adopt a new approach. They should cultivate the Kashmiri leadership and it is not a difficult task. They simply have to publicly endorse such demands as greater autonomy and self-rule like the Kashmiri academicians do to capture top positions in the government and educational institutions. They simply have to criticize the Government of India and say New Delhi has been pursuing policies designed to erode the state's special status, as also to erode the distinct identity of the people of Kashmir.
In other words, the Jammu-centric parties and the Jammu-based academicians have several options available to them. They should exercise any of the above referred to options. What a sorry state of affairs! It's unfortunate that there is none in the State Government or in the Central Government who is prepared to recognize the Jammu merit and the Jammu sentiment. What is worse is the criminal silence of the Congress party, which says day in and day out that it stands for parity between Jammu and Kashmir. The ball is in the court of the people of Jammu province. They have to assert and make the authorities see reason and behave. |
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