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Lucknow: The tirade launched by the Uttar Pradesh Congress against UP’s Urban Development and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mohammad Azam Khan for making him the life pro-chancellor of the proposed Urdu University in Rampur continues unabated. The Uttar Pradesh Governor T.V. Rajeswar has forwarded the draft ordinance on setting up of the proposed Urdu University to President APJ Abdul Kalam for his assent with his remarks. This gave a severe jolt to the Mulayam Singh Yadav-led Government. 

On the other hand, the governor has given his approval for issuing an Ordinance for the constitution of Madarsa Shiksha Council on the pattern of Sanskrit Shiksha Parishad. 

The Raj Bhawan has informed the chief minister about the decision taken on the controversial draft ordinance and confirmed that the draft was sent to the President. It may be mentioned here that an earlier govenor during the BJP rule, Suraj Bhan, had similarly forwarded a controversial bill on religion to the President for his assent. 

The chief minister had called on the governor a day before this development and tried to persuade him to give his assent to the draft ordinance sent by the Cabinet. Despite objections from various quarters, the Uttar Pradesh cabinet headed by the chief minister had approved the draft ordinance and sent it to the Governor for his approval.

The chief minister while appealing to the governor wanted to know from him what the Raj Bhwan was thinking on the issue. The chief minister had also announced that he would establish a Muslim university in memory of late Ali Miyan (Maulana Abul Hasan Ali Nadwi). He said this while addressing a seminar on Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar which was orgainsed by Mohammad Ali Jauhar Foundation in Lucknow. The chief minister said that he had names of some people in his pockets who frequently visited Raj Bhawan to hatch a conspiracy against the proposed Urdu University. He lauded Azam Khan for his honesty and integrity and said that the question did not arise to drop his name as the pro-chancellor of the said university. The chief minister also announced a grant of 0.5 million rupees for the Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar Foundation in Lucknow. The chief minister said while addressing a seminar on Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar that he had respect for the governor but if he did not approve the draft ordinance on Urdu University, he might call a legislative assembly session to get it passed. He went to the extent of saying that Congress leaders had hatched a conspiracy in Raj Bhawan against the Urdu University but he would not budge from his stand.

On this occasion, the Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar Foundation gave awards to two senior IPS officers, V. N. Rai and Rizwan Ahamad, and to an IAS officer, Chandra Pal.

The AICC general secretary Salman Khursheed has advised Mulayam Singh Yadav to respect the feelings of the governor. He said that the Raj Bhawan was a pious place and the chief minister should not raise a finger at it and stop accusing it. Salman Khursheed was not aggressive but he asked the Uttar Pradesh chief minister not to interfere in the functioning of the Raj Bhawan. He strongly refuted the charges levelled by the chief minister that Congress leaders and Raj Bhawan were involved in hatching a conspiracy against the draft ordinance for setting up an Urdu university in Rampur. The Congress did not believe in interfering in the functioning of Raj Bhawan, he said while speaking to newsmen. He added that the governor of the state is the representative of the President and being a representative of the President, he has the right to consult with the Central Government or the President of India on any matter. The Congress leader was of the view that Urdu could not be promoted by setting up a university and it could only be promoted by teaching Urdu at the junior level. The Uttar Pradesh Congress has also accused the chief minister of his tacit understanding with the BJP.

Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who paid a day’s visit to Lucknow, also justified the action taken by the Uttar Pradesh Governor for sending the draft ordinance on the Urdu University to the President. Vajpayee said that he was confident that the governor would not allow any move that might create tension in the state. BJP leaders also called on the governor submitting a memorandum and appealing to him to disapprove the draft ordinance passed by the state cabinet for his approval to the proposed Urdu University.  «