Anti-national remarks hurting Devotee - Raman Suri slams Omar Abdullah’s “Communal Outburst”

JAMMU: Condemning Chief Minister Omar Abdullah for what he termed “highly objectionable, anti-national and deliberately divisive remarks” over the admissions controversy at the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Excellence (SMVDIE), senior BJP leader Raman Suri said the Chief Minister’s sarcastic comments suggesting that if the BJP sought reservation for Hindus, the Shrine Board college should be treated as a minority institution and that “our children (Muslim students)” would have to study in countries like Bangladesh or Turkey exposed a mindset that was not only communal but also disrespectful to the sentiments of millions of devotees who fund the institution.

Raman Suri said the public had expected the Chief Minister to provide clarity and resolve legitimate concerns raised by Hindu students who sustain the Shrine Board through their faith and donations. Instead, Omar Abdullah chose to provoke and deflect, he said, painting a genuine issue as a politically motivated divide. “It is the Chief Minister who has attempted to turn a simple matter of fairness into a communal confrontation,” Suri asserted, adding that such remarks have only encircled Omar Abdullah in avoidable controversy.

Raman Suri reiterated that nearly all offerings and donations sustaining the Shrine Board come from Hindu devotees, making it reasonable for Hindu students to receive proportionate preference in admissions. He pointed out that when the Mata Vaishno Devi University Act was framed under Dr. Farooq Abdullah’s tenure, the concerns of Hindu students were ignored. Institutions such as Acharya Shri Chander College of Medical Sciences (ASCOMS) and Mahant Bachittar Singh College of Engineering (MBS) in Jammu already provide reservation, and therefore, it is only logical that the Shrine Board–run institution rooted in Hindu faith be allowed similar provisions.

Suri further maintained that the long-term and sustainable solution lies in amending the Mata Vaishno Devi Act to clearly define reservation criteria and safeguard the rights of Hindu students. Such an amendment, he argued, would bring transparency and uniformity to the process, align with nationwide practices, and prevent political manipulation in the future. He said the BJP has consistently stood for reforms that ensure a fair and constitutionally sound admissions policy.

The Chief Minister himself invoked religion and brought foreign nations known for anti-India positions into an otherwise domestic, administrative debate, he said. “A responsible Chief Minister unites people. Instead, Omar Abdullah has chosen to escalate tensions by making irresponsible comparisons and statements,” Suri remarked.

Reasserting that the people of Jammu Kashmir stand firmly with the demand for reservation for Hindu students in the Shrine Board institution, Suri said the BJP will continue its fight for justice. He concluded that Shrine Board institutions exist because of the faith and contributions of devotees, and their rights, sentiments and legitimate expectations must be safeguarded against any political overreach, including that of the Chief Minister.