Former Infosys CFO Mohandas Pai on Sunday responded to All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM) leader Asaduddin Owaisi’s support for Aligarh Muslim University’s minority status ( AMU). Pai criticized Owaisi’s position, questioning why a centrally funded university should reserve places specifically for Muslim students.

“As usual, you are misunderstanding the gist. Why should a higher education institution funded entirely or largely by public funds ignore and not grant reservation to 50% of seats as per policy Why should they reserve places for Muslim students when public taxes pay for it? Reservations based on religion are unconstitutional,” Pai said in his response.

Pai further argued that universities like AMU and Jamia Millia Islamia, which receive public funds, should follow the government’s reservation policy, like other central universities. “BHU has a reservation policy. So, AMU and Jamia should fully follow the reservation policy since they receive public funds,” Pai added, stressing that central universities should adhere to the reservation rules set by the government. “All central universities follow government policy, including reservations, and there can be no exceptions. No discrimination in favor of AMU.”

Owaisi’s comments come after the Supreme Court verdict on AMU’s minority status. The AIMIM leader pointed out that the court had upheld the right of minorities to establish and run educational institutions. “It does not matter whether the university was established before the Constitution or whether it was established by a government act. It is a minority institution if it was established by minorities. All the arguments of the BJP have been rejected,” Owaisi said. said.

The AIMIM leader also criticized the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for its opposition to AMU’s minority status over the years. “The BJP has opposed the minority status of AMU all these years. What will it do now? It has gone out of its way to attack AMU and Jamia, and even our right to run madrasahs .The BJP needs to introspect and make a change of direction. The Modi government should take this judgment with equanimity. It should support AMU as it is also a central university.

Owaisi also highlighted the funding disparity between AMU, Jamia and other universities, citing that Jamia receives Rs 3 lakh per student, AMU receives Rs 3.9 lakh, while Banaras Hindu University (BHU) receives Rs 6.15 lakh per student. “Jamia and AMU have always performed well in national rankings. With the right support, the universities could be recognized globally. But for that, Modi must stop discriminating against them. AMU’s Kishanganj center is languishing for many years, this also needs to be addressed urgently and the center should start functioning as soon as possible,” Owaisi added.

The Supreme Court on Friday referred the issue of AMU’s minority status to a new jurisdiction, overturning a 1967 judgment that said the university could not be considered a minority institution since it was established by a central law. The AMU fraternity welcomed the decision of the top court, which they said reaffirms the founding principles of the institution.

Professor Faizan Mustafa, a former AMU registrar and a key figure in the case, called the decision “an overall victory for the rights of minorities in general and AMU in particular”.