Jammu & Kashmir: A dispute over a law school
Jammu & Kashmir: A new political dispute has developed in the Valley over the creation of a National Law University (NLU), only days after the Mata Vaishno Devi Medical College was closed due to protests by Hindu organizations against the admittance of Muslim students.
CM Omar Abdullah said that no final decision has been made despite the BJP’s insistence on establishing the school in Jammu and that there were no protests in Kashmir when IIT and IIM were approved for the city.
Abdullah had said during last year’s Budgam Assembly by-election that the NLU will be established in Budgam. “The university will begin operations in a rented space in Budgam’s Ompora neighborhood, where the government had previously intended to establish a software technological component but the Air Force objected.” The UT will be on par with other states that already have NLUs thanks to the introduction of NLU in J&K.
A J&K NLU had been identified, according to BJP MLA RS Pathania, and it was assumed that it would appear in Budgam after the chief minister’s declaration during the Budgam by-elections. “The NC failed in its attempt to entice voters in the constituency with the declaration.”
Pathania said that Jammu has superior connection, weather, and a stable law-and-order environment, and that the BJP does not subscribe to a Jammu vs Kashmir narrative.
This is a national organization. It need to be situated such that students from all across the nation may easily access it and get the most out of it. All of these criteria are satisfied by Jammu,” he said. “Budgam’s accessibility issues would make it more difficult for the university to run smoothly.”
“The announcement made by the CM will stay just that—an announcement. We’ll make sure this institution opens in Jammu,” he said.
“We will vehemently object to its establishment in Budgam. We would do our best to get it set up and established in Jammu exclusively.
Pathania said that the party will bring up the matter in the Assembly, take it to the Center, and even go to the streets. “We’ll fight for it.”
In a harsh response, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah questioned the BJP’s selective anger. When IIT and IIM were approved for Jammu, did Kashmir object? At that time, what did Kashmir receive? “Why wasn’t equality discussed back then?” he said.
According to Omar, no decision has been made yet. Let us make this choice. “Let the government make the final decision,” he said.
BJP MLA Sham Lal Sharma supported the party’s stance, rejecting the chief minister’s argument and said that Jammu’s demand was reasonable and grounded in pragmatic concerns.