Congress supports decision to sack Vastanvi as Deoband University VC : Khurshid

New Delhi, July 24 (ANI): Union Law Minister Salman Khurshid on Sunday said the ruling Congress Party respects the decision of the committee, which sacked Ghulam Mohammed Vastanvi, as vice-chancellor of Darul Uloom Deoband University.

Khurshid said the ruling party respected the autonomy of the institution, as the Congress party was closely associated with Darul Uloom since independence movement.

"As far as Deoband is concerned it is a very significant institution and the implications and impact of what decision is taken in Deoband will be far reaching. It is an institution whose autonomy we respect," said Khurshid.

"Now, in the history, the Congress party the Deoband has been very closely involved with the Congress party and with the national movement and therefore we can't say we are completely unmoved and completely uncaring of what happens there," he added.

Khurshid, however, said that the government would not interfere in the decision of sacking the vice-chancellor until the institution wanted them to do so.

"The government I think, it will be inappropriate for the government to comment on the decision that is entirely their own and a democratic decision they have taken within the confines of Deoband," said Khurshid.

"If someone contacts us and someone speaks to us, explains to us or wants any interface or any dialogue it's another matter but we wouldn't like to comment on what they have done," he added.

Vastanvi, who was criticized for praising Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi in February this year, was earlier in the day removed as the vice chancellor of Darul Uloom Deoband University.

The decision was taken at a meeting attended by a three-member Majlis-e-Shoora or the governing council of Darul Uloom.

The governing council constituted a three-member committee, comprising Mufti Mazoor Ahmad from Kanpur, Mufti Mohammad Ismail from Malegaon and Maulana Mohammad Ibrahim from Chennai.

Vastanvi, who hails from Surat and was elected vice-chancellor on January 10, was subjected to protests from seminary students after saying that Muslims should forget the communal pogrom of 2002 and move on and that the community did not face discrimination in Gujarat-led by Modi. (ANI)