Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Oct 14: Union Minister for Human Resources Development Prakash Javadekar today launched blistering counter attack on National Conference president and former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on his remarks that grant of Indian Institute of Management (IIM) to Jammu was “partisan politics” and instead charged Omar with “mismanaging” Prime Minister’s Scholarship Scheme (PMSS) during 2011-14 when he was the Chief Minister of the State.
It was virtually a twitter war during the day today after Centre yesterday announced grant of IIM to Jammu at the cost of Rs 1000 crores from Prime Minister’s Development Package (PMDP) and Omar Abdullah immediately reacted describing the decision as “partisan politics”.
In a series of tweets today, Javadekar advised Omar Abdullah not to politicize the education.
“You know there will be off-campus of the IIM in the Kashmir Valley,” the Union HRD Minister said referring to Omar’s comments.
Javadekar went on to charge Omar Abdullah with “mismanaging” Prime Minister’s Scholarship Scheme during his tenure as the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir from 2011-2014.
“You (Omar Abdullah) should have helped streamlining Prime Minister’s Scholarship Scheme, which was mismanaged from 2011-14,” Javadekar wrote in his last tweet and told Omar that presently 2,000 youths from Jammu and Kashmir have been admitted in good technical institutes and getting Rs 2.25 lakh Prime Minister’s scholarship.
“You (Omar Abdullah) know Centre has increased super numerical quota from 2-10 for Jammu and Kashmir students this year. Thus, nearly 2000 Jammu and Kashmir youths have been admitted in good technical institutes and getting Rs 2.25 lakh worth Prime Minister’s scholarship,” the Union Minister wrote on micro-blogging site twitter.
Pinning the blame for the state of affairs of higher education in the Valley on Omar Abdullah’s shoulders, Javadekar tweeted that the former Chief Minister should have helped in streamlining the PM’s scholarship scheme.
Not willing to let the matter rest, Javadekar further pointed out ”You (Omar Abdullah) know the Centre has also sanctioned Rs 100 cr for NIT Srinagar modernization. You should help academic session begin sooner there. Centre has granted Rs 50 cr for 7 Girls Hostels in Jammu and Kashmir, of which three will be set up in the Kashmir valley.”
It may be mentioned here that due to ongoing over three month long unrest in the Kashmir valley, the NIT students have been suffering as the Institute was closed since then and there was fear of loss of semester.
While announcing IIM for Jammu and its off-campus in Srinagar yesterday, the Union Cabinet had also sanctioned grant of Rs 100 crores for modernization of NIT Srinagar and Rs 50 crore for seven Girls Hostels in Jammu and Kashmir.
As part of the campaign of Transforming India, Javadekar said ”#Cabinet Establishment of AIIMS, IIT, NIT earlier, now IIM, to help meet requirement of quality living & education in J&K.”
He drew attention of the former Chief Minister (Omar Abdullah) to Tequip III saying that the scheme had special focus on Jammu and Kashmir.
Reacting to series of tweets by Javadekar, Omar Abdullah shot back on the Union Minister writing on the twitter: ”Sir, according to you, the whole country was mismanaged from 1947 to 2014 and you are too senior to me in age for me to argue with you.”
Maintaining that the issue was just “blatant partisan politics”, he corrected the Union Minister of Human Resources Development stating ”And don’t tell me an “out campus” is good enough because if it was, the IIM would have been placed in Kashmir with the out campus in Jammu.”
He said when Kashmir was awarded an AIIMS, Jammu agitated, successfully, for its right to be granted one as well. “Why this partisanship now?”, he asked.
Follow our WhatsApp channel