Rehan Qayoom Mir
Srinagar, Jan 8: Amid the ongoing controversy over the de-recognition of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Medical College, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) general secretary (organisation) Ashok Koul on Thursday said that separating Jammu from Kashmir is not the ideology of the BJP, asserting that such remarks reflect individual opinions rather than the party’s official stance.
Speaking to reporters here, Koul said, “The BJP believes in the unity and integrity of Jammu and Kashmir as one entity. This is not the thought of the Bharatiya Janata Party—this is the thought of an individual. The BJP stands for Jammu and Kashmir as a whole, not separately,” he said.
His remarks came after a political row erupted over the National Medical Commission’s (NMC) decision to withdraw recognition from Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Medical College. The move led to widespread concern among students whose admissions were affected, prompting the Chief Minister to request the Education Minister to ensure their adjustment in other colleges.
Koul said the BJP fully supports accommodating the affected students in medical colleges across Jammu and Kashmir. “We do not want to play with the future of the students. They should be admitted to all medical colleges within Jammu and Kashmir,” he said.
Clarifying that the decision to cancel the college’s recognition was not politically motivated, Koul said the NMC acted after finding serious irregularities during inspection. “The Medical Council inspected the college and found there were no rooms, no doctors, no patients. They saw all that on the ground,” he said.
Koul added that objections were raised by several quarters, prompting a special team to inspect the college again. “That team found deficiencies and irregularities. There was no political or religious consideration in that decision—it was purely based on the findings of the Medical Council,” he said.
He said the college had earlier been given registration with certain assurances about infrastructure, which were later found unfulfilled. “They must have said that we will do this or that, but when the inspection was done, there was no infrastructure. If students have no environment to study, what is the point of studying there?” he said.
The BJP leader also reiterated that the party remains committed to ensuring the welfare of students and maintaining the academic standards of medical education in Jammu and Kashmir. (KNO)
