I had some friends of minority community in IIT, Kharagpur. I adored their friendships. They were very courteous. I learnt many things from. They were from background similar to mine. They did pretty well in IIT. We all dispersed after IIT. I met them later on too. They were very helpful. But there was one difference at our time. The main political party of the country had not gone for appeasing minority just for vote with gimmicks.

It pains when you find the political parties on one hand talking about the necessity of integration of the country and on the other hand doing everything so blatantly to appease the minority for a single purpose of getting their votes. It hurts even the most liberal in majority community. It doesn’t also help the minority at large.

How can the establishing of an extension centre of Aligarh Muslim University in Kishangunj at a cost of Rs 200 crore will help Muslims of Bihar? Can’t the purpose be better served by more number of good science colleges, polytechnics, and higher secondary schools with hostel facilities and scholarships for poor students from minority?

Aligarh Muslim University has lost its reputation rather has earned lately bad name. Its extension centre will hardly make any impact for improving education in the community. AMU must bring back its image before it plans for extension centres in every part of the country. Instead, the central and state governments must encourage some educationists from the community to set up new educational institution or university as the founders of AMU and BHU did in those days.

I appeal to the minority to let their children join the mainstream education and go for courses and curricula that makes them employable. Let the minority demand and allow their children to sit with the children of the rest of the communities in the same schools and compete.

No religion is going to lose its identity because of modern education in international standard schools or by studying in English medium schools.