SMVDU Row: CM Omar Warns Against Replacing Merit with Religion | Kashmir Life

SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday cautioned that replacing merit with religion in academic institutions would undermine the core values of the Constitution, asserting that constitutional principles must be upheld every day, not merely observed symbolically on Constitution Day.

Addressing the golden jubilee celebration of Jamia Zia-ul-Uloom in Poonch, the Chief Minister said Constitution Day served as a reminder to renew commitment to equality, justice and secularism. “The meaning of Constitution Day is not that we remember the Constitution for an hour. Its meaning is that every day of the year, we must keep it alive,” he said.

He criticised attempts to view institutions through a communal prism and said the Constitution grants equal rights to all faiths. Referring to the SMVDIME row, he warned against efforts to exclude students on religious grounds. “Today, in one of the medical colleges, it is being said that Muslims and non-Hindus should not study here. If we set aside merit and start making decisions on the basis of religion, then where will the Constitution go?” he remarked.

Omar condemned what he described as targeted propaganda against religious educational institutions. He said those spreading misinformation should witness the functioning of such institutes instead of maligning them. “They are not tired of spreading this propaganda that in these institutions, nothing is taught other than hatred and sectarianism. I wish those people who spread venom had a chance to sit here and watch this programme,” he said, adding that Jamia Zia-ul-Uloom teaches religion alongside modern disciplines.

Pointing out that the event was not a government-organised function, the Chief Minister said reading the Preamble was voluntary and done out of conviction, not obligation. He urged critics to visit the institute before passing judgement. “Maybe they will understand that the propaganda and poison being spread against us by peddling lies, they are not being loyal to the country,” he said.

Omar praised founder Maulana Ghulam Qadir and the institution for supporting the administration during periods of crisis. The institute had been allotted 50 MBBS seats this year, but the admission of 42 students from a particular community in the first batch for the 2025–26 academic session has triggered controversy. A BJP delegation led by opposition leader Sunil Sharma recently urged the Lieutenant Governor to cancel the list and reserve seats for students who “have faith in Mata Vaishno Devi”.