Suhail Bhat
Srinagar, Jan 7: Cabinet Minister Javed Ahmad Rana today described the controversy over admissions at Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Medical College in Reasi as “disturbing” and harmful to democratic and secular values, saying religion or region should never determine access to education.
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Speaking to reporters here, Rana said raising questions of religion in educational admissions was “not healthy in a democratic country” and amounted to a “big loss for a healthy society.” He termed the developments “very unfortunate” and warned that such debates risk pushing society backwards.
“If we talk about admissions on the basis of religion, then where are we taking the society?” the Minister asked, adding that politics around “mandir and masjid” should not enter the education system. He said the intentions behind such discussions did not “seem right” and reiterated that he had consistently opposed such approaches.
Rana cautioned against what he described as attempts to anchor society in the past. “Advanced countries think about the next thousand years, while here our leadership keeps talking about what happened hundreds or thousands of years ago,” he said, calling it a matter of “misfortune.”
He also criticised the BJP, alleging that the party’s role in the controversy raised serious questions about its intent. “The BJP’s actions and intentions are questionable. While the rest of the world is progressing, we remain trapped in mandir–masjid politics,” Rana said.
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