Nitish Kumar, the Chief Minister of Bihar is the man of words, and believes on sayings rather than doing. After the massive dharna for the proposed AMU Centre in Kishanganj attended by tens of thosands of people called by the Kishanganj MP Maulana Asrarul Haque local MLAs and neighbouring district of Uttar Dinjapur (West Bengal), the Government of Bihar has become under pressure. In fact, the Nitish led government including the Chief Minister himself is criticising politicians for participating in the dharna that paralysed the Guwahati - Delhi Rail route and NH 31. Of course, blocking the rail and road had caused problem to the common people but the people of the educationally deprived area of Seemanchal is very angry over the arrogant attitude of Bihar Govt, which is not providing the required 250 acres land as per the norms of AMU.
Tens of thousand people gathered at Ruidhasa Maidan on Oct 12
Nitish has given a fresh statement in PTI (Press Trust of India) on October 17, 2011 about AMU issue and he slams the MLAs of West Bengal for supporting the movement. Below is the report:
Patna, Oct 17 (PTI): Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today said there was no justification for a minister and MLAs of a state for holding demonstrations in another state. "What is the justification for a minister and MLAs of a state holding demonstrations in another state (over Aligarh Muslim University centre in Kishanganj)?" Kumar told reporters apparently referring to a West Bengal Minister and MLAs blocking railway tracks at Kishanganj recently for opening a centre of Aligarh Muslim University in Kishanganj of Bihar. "I want to keep the records straight -- the AMU centre will come to Kishanganj only courtesy the Bihar government", Kumar said pointing out that AMU Vice Chancellor had written to the state government to open its centre in Katihar. "But we prefer Kishanganj because of the area being educationally-backward... It is only because of the state government's efforts that the centre will be opened in Kishanganj and no no political party or leaders have any claim to their credit in this respect", he said. "The state government has taken all possible steps for satisfying the AMU authorities about plots it had acquired for the purpose of setting up the centre", he said and remarked that the AMU should have at least begun construction on the plot measuring 160 acre instead of waiting for a single plot. The fate of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) centre at Kishanganj hangs in balance with Bihar government allegedly failing to provide a single plot of 250 acres to the AMU administration to open it.
AMU Vice-Chancellor P K Abdul Ajis, while informing the state government in 2008 of the Centre's decision to open the centre at Katihar, had asked for a single plot of land measuring 250 acres to 300 acres free of cost to begin construction, Kumar said. The state government, he said, acquired the required land in three separate pieces in Kishanganj district instead of making available land in Katihar. "There are several universities which have many campus far away from one to another, but the state government has arranged the land, though into three pieces, are close by," official sources said. A fresh controversy has erupted with the Minister for Human Resource Development P K Sahi alleging that the AMU VC was 'doing politics' over the issue and had not obtained the required sanction from President Pratibha Patil, who is visitor of the university. Kishanganj MP Maulana Asrarul Haque, RJD MLA Akhtarul Imam, besides some West Bengal legislators with their supporters had last week blocked the rail tracks at Kishanganj protesting against alleged inordinate delay being made by the Nitish Kumar government in making available the land required for the purpose of opening the AMU centre.
Source of News: PTI, October 17, 2011
http://ibnlive.in.com/generalnewsfeed/news/ministers-of-other-states-holding-demonstration-unjustified/864740.html
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/patna/CM-Bengal-leaders-role-in-AMU-stir-dangerous/articleshow/10396972.cms
