Lucknow :

A Muslim educationist has offered 20 acres of land in Lucknow district for the proposed campus of Hyderabad-based Maulana Azad University. Prime Minister Narendra  Modi’s pointsman Zafar Sareshwala, who has been trying hard to make inroads into Muslim intelligentsia and electorate, is the vice-chancellor of the university.

Speaking to TOI, Maulana Yusuf Hussaini, who has offered the piece of land in Malihabad, said: “We all welcome and should compliment Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s moves for socio-economic welfare of the community.” Hussaini, a kin of renowned scholar Ali Mian, former rector of Nadwa Islamic seminary, runs several madrassas and other educational institutions in the city.

When asked whether association of Modi’s name with the proposed institution would put him into trouble, Hussaini said there was no issue at all. “We would whole-heartedly welcome any initiative of the Prime Minister for the socio-economic upliftment of Muslims, who need government’s support,” he said, adding “Modi is the Prime Minister of the country and not of the BJP.”

He said that Sareshwala was due to visit the city soon to finalize the proposal for the land transfer and if all goes well the city could soon get another national-level university.

Sareshwala told TOI on Sunday that Hussaini had offered the land and a building at Malihabad, on the outskirts of the state capital, without any cost. “Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants speedy growth of Muslims and for this reason he has increased the budget for minority welfare by nearly 12%,” Sareshwala said.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> India / by Subhash Mishra, TNN / June 15th, 2015