JAMMU — Congress’s Jammu and Kashmir unit on Wednesday accused the BJP of giving a communal angle to the ongoing MBBS admission row, alleging that the party was attempting to deflect attention from the failures of the Centre and the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board.
The Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence (SMVDIME) has been sanctioned 50 MBBS seats this year, and admission of 42 students of a particular community in the maiden batch for the 2025-26 academic year sparked a controversy with right-wing Hindu groups questioning the process and demanding “minority institution” status to the newly established institute.
Officials, however, said admissions were made on merit, as the institute has not been granted minority status and, therefore, no reservation criteria based on religion could be applied.
A delegation of BJP MLAs led by Leader of Opposition in J&K Assembly Sunil Sharma met the Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Saturday and demanded cancellation of the admission list and ……… reservation of seats to only those students “who have faith in Mata Vaishno Devi.”
Reacting to the controversy, J&K Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) chief spokesperson Ravinder Sharma held BJP-led Centre, especially the Ministry of Health and Family welfare and the management of the Shrine Board and institute, responsible for their failure to take care of the “religious sentiments and rights of Hindus” while granting necessary registration, recognition and permission to the institute as per relevant norms.
“…why to give communal twist and raise questions on the admissions for the fault of concerned authorities at the helm of affairs, who all belong to BJP and its system but failed to safeguard the rights and religious sentiments of the community by not adopting appropriate course available under law and norms,” Sharma said in a statement here.
The Congress leader reiterated that the BJP and its allied authorities stand exposed in the matter and said that they should ask their party’s national president, J P Nadda, to take steps to honour the rights and religious sentiments of the Hindu community, as per existing norms. — (PTI)