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| VC CU: State Government's right approach, No Mattoo? | | | EARLY TIMES REPORT
JAMMU, July 24: Amitabh Mattoo, who has been moving heaven and earth since months to become Vice-Chancellor of the Central University of Jammu, is unlikely to fulfill his most cherished desire. He is not becoming Vice-Chancellor of the Central University. This is not official. There are some trustworthy reports, which suggest that the possibility of Amitabh Mattoo becoming Vice-Chancellor of the Central University of Jammu is very, very remote. There is not one report to this effect. There are two reports and both have emanated from the state's summer capital, Srinagar.
According to one report, "the state Government has asked the Human Resource Development Ministry to reconsider its decision to appoint Prof Amitabh Mattoo as Vice-Chancellor of the Central University Jammu." According to the same report, "the Jammu and Kashmir Chief Secretary has written to the Union Human Resource Development Ministry advising against the appointment of Prof Amitabh Mattoo."
According to another report, "Jammu and Kashmir government has virtually 'veteod' (read vetoed) the appointment of noted academician Amitabh Mattoo as the first vice chancellor of Central University Jammu budging before the forces who opposed him for being a "Kashmiri". According to the same report, "Chief Secretary S S Kapur has written to the Ministry of Human Resource Development to decline his appointment."
The reports appear almost identical. Another thing that is common between the two reports is that the State Government's decision to urge the Union Government not to appoint Amitabh Mattoo as Vice-Chancellor of the Central University of Jammu is based on the "report from the Divisional Commissioner, Jammu" Pawan Kotwal.
One report says, "Kapoor…has cited a report from the Divisional Commissioner, Jammu" - report that says that "Mattoo's appointment could trigger law and order concerns in a state where the political environment is already volatile." The other report says, "the chief secretary has cited a report from Divisional Commissioner, Jammu, Pawan Kotwal, to argue that there are apprehensions of law and order problem in the state if he (Mattoo) is appointed as V-C of the youngest Central University". This report also says: "Divisional Commissioner Jammu had forwarded a representation consisting of petitions from little-known groups based in Jammu to Kapur. The petitions accused Mattoo of 'pro-separatist' and 'pro-Kashmiri' propensity, thereby compelling the chief secretary to write to HRD Minister Kapil Sibal suggesting him not to go in favour of Mattoo's appointment, a senior government official, wishing not to be named, told" all this.
However, both the reports do say that when contacted, the Chief Secretary denied that he had written any letter to the Union Home Resource Development Ministry, and added, "the letters were written by some people from Jammu" and that "the State Government has no locus standi in the selection of the Vice-Chancellor."
One can very easily understand the compulsions of the Chief Secretary. He is not supposed to divulge everything, particularly when the sensitivities are involved. One can also agree with him when he says that the State Government has no role to play in the selection of a Vice-Chancellor for the Central University. It's true. At the same time, however, the State Government just cannot overlook the sentiments of the people of the region where the Central University is to be set up. The State Government, which is already grappling with a very serious law and order problem, as also with the problems created by the Pakistan-backed communal and separatist forces in Kashmir, cannot afford opening of another front in Jammu. The State Government knows the people of Jammu province full well. After all, the people of Jammu are not the ones whom the powers-that-be can take lightly. The authorities have seen them and their determination, coupled with the spirit of supreme sacrifice, at regular intervals, say in 1952-53, 1975-76, 1979-80, 1986, 1998, 2008 and even there after on at least four occasions.
One can say with some amount of confidence that the State Government has made up its mind to resist the Central Government's move on Amitabh Mattoo. The authorities know that the appointment of Amitabh Mattoo as Vice-Chancellor of the Central University of Jammu would provoke serious explosions in Jammu, where there is consensus that Amitabh Mattoo's credentials are doubtful and that his appointment as the Vice-Chancellor will vitiate the political atmosphere in the otherwise peaceful Jammu province. It was not for nothing that certain senior political leaders urged Chief Minister Omar Abdullah during the Jammu District Development Board meeting to ensure the appointment of a local academician as the Vice-Chancellor of the Central University of Jammu.
It is a positive development that the State Government has, according to reports, opposed the idea of Amitabh Mattoo being appointed as Vice-Chancellor of the Central University of Jammu. It shows that Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has weighed all the pros and cons and it's good approach. |
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