'Why should publicly-funded university...': Mohandas Pai responds to Owaisi on minority status to AMU

Former Infosys Chief Financial Officer Mohandas Pai on Sunday responded to All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM) leader Asaduddin Owaisi's support for the minority status of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU). Pai criticised Owaisi's stance, questioning why a centrally-funded university should reserve seats specifically for Muslim students.

"You are missing the point as usual. Why should any HE institution which is fully or substantially funded by public funds ignore and not give Reservation to 50% of seats as per government policy? Why should they reserve seats for Muslim students when public taxes pay for this? Reservation on the basis of religion is unconstitutional," Pai said in his response.

Pai further argued that universities like AMU and Jamia Millia Islamia, which receive public funds, should follow the government's reservation policy, similar to other central universities. "BHU has a reservation policy. So AMU, Jamia should fully follow reservation policy since they get public funds," Pai added, emphasising that central universities should adhere to the reservation rules set by the government. "All central universities follow govt policy including reservation and there cannot be any exceptions. No discrimination in favour of AMU."

Owaisi's comments came after the Supreme Court's verdict regarding AMU's minority status. The AIMIM leader highlighted that the court had upheld the right of minorities to establish and run educational institutions. "It does not matter if the University was established before the Constitution, or if it was set up by a law of the govt. It is a minority institution if it was established by minorities. All the arguments of the BJP were rejected," Owaisi said.

The AIMIM leader also criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for opposing AMU’s minority status over the years. "The BJP has opposed minority status for AMU for all these years. What is it going to do now? It has made every effort to attack AMU and Jamia, and our right to even run madrasas. BJP must introspect and go for a course correction. The Modi govt should take this judgement in its stride. It should support AMU as it is also a central university," Owaisi said.

Owaisi also pointed out the disparity in funding between AMU, Jamia, and other universities, citing that Jamia receives Rs 3 lakh per student, AMU receives Rs 3.9 lakh, while Banaras Hindu University (BHU) gets Rs 6.15 lakh per student. "Jamia and AMU have consistently performed well in national rankings. With the right support the Universities could be globally renowned. But for that, Modi must stop discriminating against them. AMU’s Kishanganj centre has been languishing for the past many years. This must also be addressed urgently and the centre should begin working as soon as possible," Owaisi added.

The Supreme Court on Friday deferred the question of AMU’s minority status to a new bench, overruling a 1967 judgment that stated the university could not be considered a minority institution since it was created by a central law. The AMU fraternity welcomed the top court's ruling, which they said reaffirms the foundational principles of the institution. 

Professor Faizan Mustafa, former registrar of AMU and a key figure in the case, called the decision a "comprehensive win for minority rights in general and AMU in particular."