Nehru too opposed minority status for AMU, says Akbar

The BJP on Friday attacked Congress president Sonia Gandhi for “changing stand” on Aligarh Muslim University’s minority status and said that all previous Congress Prime Ministers, starting from Jawaharlal Nehru, had held it as a central public institution since it was born out of an Act of Parliament.

The AMU was established as a school sometime in 1872-73 by noted academician Sir Sayeed but post Independence it became a central government funded university through a legislation passed by Parliament, said the BJP.

“All prime ministers starting from Jawahar Lal Nehru to Lal Bahadur Shastri to Indira Gandhi did not allow it to happen, saying that it was against national interest and it would not  help Muslims either. The dilution came during Sonia Gandhi’s time,” BJP MP M J Akbar charged at a press conference. BJP leader Shahnawaj Hussain too addressed the media.