GAYA: While maintaining that though he was not backing out of the
proposal to establish a Central University of Bihar (CUB) at Motihari,
chief minister Nitish Kumar
has said he can do little if the Union HRD ministry went ahead with the
university's establishment at Gaya as the university has to be
established with the Centre's money and the Union government owns the
land required for the purpose. By stating this, the Bihar CM has put
Union HRD minister Kapil Sibal in a bind.
Now if Sibal dithers on the university's establishment at Gaya, it will be construed as cheap politicking to deprive Bihar of its rightful claim and, at the same time, cause regional divide in an otherwise cohesive state.
Responding positively to the CM's stand which, in a way also tests the Centre's seriousness on the issue, CUB Struggle Committee convener Sanjay Sahay said the onus now lay squarely with the Centre and the future agitation will now aim at applying pressure on Sibal to honour his commitment to establish the central university at Gaya.
According to Sahay, the struggle committee will go ahead with its agitational programme which includes day-long dharna at nine different points in the city on April 5 and Gaya bandh call on April 11 which are now aimed at applying pressure on the Union government.After the CM's realistic assessment of the situation and limitations of the state government in forcing the Centre to toe its line when education figures in the concurrent list and, as such, it was well within its right to establish the central university at a place of its choice, if the Union HRD minister delays the foundation laying of the university it will send a very wrong signal, said Sahay.
Sahay supported the stand of the chief minister that the state can do little if the Centre went ahead with the university's establishment at Gaya. He recalled that the state government was bitterly opposed to the shifting of the ASC centre from Gaya to Bangalore, but ultimately the Centre had its way and the ASC centre was shifted to Bangalore.
According to Professor Nishat Anjum, a member of the core committee for the establishment of CUB, the same kind of political willpower was required for the establishment of the CUB at Gaya as was shown in the shifting of the ASC centre.
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Now if Sibal dithers on the university's establishment at Gaya, it will be construed as cheap politicking to deprive Bihar of its rightful claim and, at the same time, cause regional divide in an otherwise cohesive state.
Responding positively to the CM's stand which, in a way also tests the Centre's seriousness on the issue, CUB Struggle Committee convener Sanjay Sahay said the onus now lay squarely with the Centre and the future agitation will now aim at applying pressure on Sibal to honour his commitment to establish the central university at Gaya.
According to Sahay, the struggle committee will go ahead with its agitational programme which includes day-long dharna at nine different points in the city on April 5 and Gaya bandh call on April 11 which are now aimed at applying pressure on the Union government.After the CM's realistic assessment of the situation and limitations of the state government in forcing the Centre to toe its line when education figures in the concurrent list and, as such, it was well within its right to establish the central university at a place of its choice, if the Union HRD minister delays the foundation laying of the university it will send a very wrong signal, said Sahay.
Sahay supported the stand of the chief minister that the state can do little if the Centre went ahead with the university's establishment at Gaya. He recalled that the state government was bitterly opposed to the shifting of the ASC centre from Gaya to Bangalore, but ultimately the Centre had its way and the ASC centre was shifted to Bangalore.
According to Professor Nishat Anjum, a member of the core committee for the establishment of CUB, the same kind of political willpower was required for the establishment of the CUB at Gaya as was shown in the shifting of the ASC centre.
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