AIMIM president and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi on Saturday criticised the proposed demolition of buildings at Mohammad Ali Jauhar University in Uttar Pradesh’s Rampur, describing the move as an attack on Muslim education.
Speaking during a visit to Saharanpur, Owaisi said his party stood in support of the university and argued that the issue was not merely about an educational institution but about the educational advancement of the Muslim community.
‘Attack on education,’ says AIMIM chief
Referring to educational indicators, Owaisi said Muslims constitute around 19–20% of Uttar Pradesh’s population, but only about 3.5–3.7% are graduates. He also claimed that the literacy rate among Muslims in the state is around 53–54%, with the rate among Muslim women being even lower.
“If the buildings of Jauhar University are demolished, the future of thousands of students will be affected,” he said.
Owaisi added that around 3,000 students are enrolled at the university and argued that if there were any legal or technical irregularities, they should be resolved through regularisation rather than demolition.
“If you want to dismantle the university, it means you do not want Muslims to be educated. It is a direct attack on education,” he said.
Comments on UP Assembly elections
Owaisi also spoke about the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections due next year, saying his party’s objective was to help the community build an independent political voice.
“Our effort is that society should prepare its independent political identity,” he said, adding that the issue was not merely about the number of legislators but whether elected representatives were free to raise issues affecting their communities.
Invoking Dr B.R. Ambedkar, Owaisi referred to a remark attributed to the Constitution’s chief architect about legislators who remained silent, suggesting that the observation continued to hold relevance in contemporary politics.
