BJP’s Sunil Sharma urges CM Omar to amend SMVDU Act to the benefit of local Hindus

STC NEWS DESK
JAMMU, NOVEMBER 27 (STC): Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Leader of Opposition in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly, Sunil Sharma, has urged the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to amend the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University (SMVDU) Act.
The BJP leader Sharma demanded that the government move to “rectify the historical oversight” which he said was committed by the then National Conference government headed by Farooq Abdullah.
“In 1999, their government granted special reservations in Baba Ghulam Shah University, an act that was passed in the same year. It’s only fair that we address this anomaly and prioritize the interests of the local community,” Sharma said.
He called on the present dispensation to revisit the SMVDU Act and introduce provisions that would ensure priority to the local Hindu population in educational and employment opportunities linked to the shrine-funded institution.
Sharma clarified that his party was not opposing the presence or participation of students from any religion in educational institutions, but reiterated that SMVDU’s funding pattern and religious linkage made it a “distinct case” warranting special treatment for locals.
He accused Chief Minister Omar Abdullah of indulging in “divisive politics on religious lines”.
Sharma said, “SMVDIE is run on the donations offered by devotees at the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine, and it’s imperative that the local Hindu community has a primary right to benefit from it. We’re not against students of any religion studying in any other institutions, but this is a special case. I strongly believe that the local community deserves priority consideration.”
He alleged that instead of promoting inclusivity, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah was “perpetuating communal discord” through his stand on the issue.
(Straight Talk Communications)