More than a month has passed since the Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) course has started at Kishanganj Centre of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU). However, still there is uncertainty over the proposed visit of Congress President Sonia Gandhi to Kishanganj for laying the foundation stone of AMU Centre, which was earlier supposed to be scheduled on 15th December, 2013 as per statement of the party MP Maulana Asrarul Haque. Even two weeks after the passing of proposed date the elected representatives from the party don’t have any clue about the exact date of Sonia’s visit.
Speaking to a correspondent of a leading newspaper, Congress MP from Kishanganj Mohammad Asararul Haque, who had met Sonia on October 26 in New Delhi to seek her programme, on Sunday, said her proposed visit has temporarily been deferred due to "foggy weather" in the northeastern district. He said her schedule would be finalized after the AICC meeting in New Delhi on January 17, 2014. Further he added, "Sonia ji's programme for Kishanganj is approved. Only date has to be fixed. I am in regular touch with her political secretary Ahmad Patel and the Union HRD ministry for finalizing the date.”
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| Sonia Gandhi during a rally at Kishanganj in 2010 |
On November 16, Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee (BPCC) president Ashok Choudhary had announced that she would visit Kishanganj around December 15. Later, it was told that Sonia's programme would be finalized after the winter session of Parliament. Though the session ended on December 18, the party's central leadership is yet to fix a date for her Kishanganj visit. Choudhary on Sunday said, "I have so far not received any schedule regarding the party president's visit."
But the insiders in the party said Sonia's programme was deliberately deferred after the party's drubbing in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Delhi assembly polls. Earlier, Sonia was scheduled to address a public rally at Kishanganj after laying the stone for a new AMU campus near village Chakla. The delay in foundation stone ceremony is raising many questions in the minds of activists working for the cause of AMU Kishanganj and locals as well. Delay in Sonia’s visit put a question over the further expansion of AMU Centre at Kishanganj including the token budget of Rs. 30 to 50 crore, which is yet to be released by the Central government.
