BJP MP Satish Gautam wrote a letter to the Vice-Chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University Tariq Mansoorand, demanding that the portrait of Muhammad Ali Jinnah in the Students’ Union Office at the university be removed.
Objecting to the portrait, the Aligarh MP asked the Vice Chancellor to explain the presence of the portrait adding that after India’s Partition, there is no justification for displaying the picture of Pakistan’s creator.
In the letter, the BJP leader said that he wanted to know under what circumstances the portrait of Jinnah was still placed in the university.
A report in the News18 said that the AMU administration maintains that AMU Students’ Union is an autonomous body.
“It is a tradition since 1920 to honour people of eminence with life membership. AMU first conferred it on Mahatma Gandhi in 1920 and on Jinnah in 1938. It is part of history… it does not mean we are part of them or their politics. CV Raman and VV Giri were also honoured with the same,” AMU Public Relations Officer (PRO) Omar Peerzada was quoted as saying in the report.
It is believed that Jinnah’s portrait was installed in 1938 before partition.