29/01/2014

 

Invitation already sent to Bihar CM: AMU VC


Patna,(BiharTimes): After the Bihar Congress it is the Vice Chancellor of the Aligarh Muslim University who on Tuesday rejected Bihar government’s claim that chief minister Nitish Kumar was not invited to the foundation stone laying ceremony of its centre in Kishanganj on January 30 and said the institution held him in high respect for his support.

Reports from Aligarh said AMU Vice-Chancellor General (Retired) Zameeruddin Shah said the “confusion” could be due to a “mix-up” in the chief minister’s office.

He said that he had already sent a second invitation through fax and speed post and was trying to personally get in touch with the chief minister.

As reported the foundation stone of the centre would be laid by UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi.

General Shah, who is the former Vice Chief of the Army Staff, said in a statement that “The programme was finalised just four days back on January 24 and the very next day, we faxed an invitation to the Bihar Chief Minister and the Governor. We also sent an invitation through speed post.”

The statement said that the Governor’s office has acknowledged receiving both the invitations.

“There is no question whatsoever of showing the slightest disrespect to the CM, whom we hold in highest respect as he has been very kind to us in allotting land.”

“It seems that there is some mix up in his office which has led to this confusion.”

It needs to be recalled that the state education minister P K Shahi had on Monday shot off a letter to the Union Human Resources Development minister M M Pallam Raju saying the state government was not invited to the function. On Tuesday chief minister Nitish Kumar also told mediapersons the same thing and went on to accuse the Congress of playing politics.

Shahi’s letter said that “the foundation-laying is being done keeping the state government in complete dark and isolation. What is more intriguing is rather than HRD requesting, the Vice Chancellor of the university writing to the Governor of the state to be present at the occasion.”

There is no denying the fact that both the UPA and JD(U) want to take credit for the off campus branch of the AMU. True the state government gave land, but after much struggle by the local people and Muslim organizations. They alleged that the BJP, a constituent in the NDA then, had repeatedly objected to the setting up of AMU campus in Kishanganj.

The programme of Sonia Gandhi might have been finalized four days back, but the news of the Congress president’s visit to Kishanganj for this purpose was first made public in November itself. The state party had then announced that Rahul Gandhi would be visiting the state in mid-December and Sonia Gandhi in late January. However, Rahul did not come.

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