The Jammu and Kashmir assembly onThursday witnessed uproarious scenes over setting up of a central university in the state with the opposition National Panthers Party (NPP) and the BJP staging a walkout from the House. Replying to a question by Harsh Dev Singh of the NPP,Minister for Higher Education Abdul Gani Malik said the state government had requested the Centre to sanction two Central universities,one each for Jammu division and Kashmir division keeping in view the regional aspirations of the people. However,he said,the Centre has sanctioned only one central university besides an Indian institute of management (IIM),11 OBC degrees colleges,18 polytechnics and five ITI's for the state and added that the state government is waiting for a response on the other proposed varsity. Unsatisfied with Malik's reply,Singh accused the coalition of being ambiguous on the issue and asked him if the sanctioned university will be set up in Jammu. "Four ministers held a press conference in Jammu recently stating that the university will be set up in Jammu. You are saying that since the government has requested for two universities,it is waiting for a decision and hence has not decided on its location. Who is right?" he asked. Chaman Lal Gupta of the BJP asked Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to visit Jammu,where students have been on a strike demanding setting up of a university there. Independent member Ashwani Kumar Sharma alleged that the vice-chancellor of the university has been appointed and he is recruiting the staff even as the university's location has not been identified. Soon after,the Speaker intervened and asked another member to raise his question following which the NPP and the BJP started shouting slogans against the state government and trooped out of the House.
