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Muslim man offers land for Indian university headed by Modi's aide

Hussiani runs several educational institutions in Lucknow, says Modi's steps for uplift of Muslims should be welcomed

Web Desk June 15, 2015

zafar sareshwala pm modi 039 s pointman is the vice chancellor of hyderabad based maulana azad university photo times of india

Zafar Sareshwala, PM Modi's pointman, is the vice-chancellor of Hyderabad-based Maulana Azad University. PHOTO: TIMES OF INDIA

LUCKNOW: A Muslim educationist has offered 20 acres of land for a proposed campus of Hyderabad-based Maulana Azad University in India's Lucknow district.

"We all welcome and should commend Prime Minister Narendra Modi's moves for the socio-economic welfare of the community," Maulana Yusuf Hussaini said.

The university’s vice chancellor happens to be Prime Minister Modi's pointman Zafar Sareshwala. However, asked whether association of Modi's name with the proposed institution would get 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 uplift of Muslims, who need the government's support," he said, adding that "Modi is the prime minister of the country and not of the BJP."

Read: We hire only non-Muslim: Indian firm tells job-seeker

Hussiani, who is a kin of renowned scholar Ali Mian, former rector of Nadwa Islamic seminary, runs several madrassas and other educational institutions in the city.

Hussaini confirmed that Sareshwala was due to visit the city soon to finalise the proposal for the land transfer and if all goes well, the city could soon get another national-level university.

Meanwhile, Sareshwala said on Sunday that Hussaini had offered the land and the building at Malihabad without any cost.

"Prime Minister Modi wants speedy growth of Muslims and for this reason he has increased the budget for minority welfare by nearly 12%," Sareshwala said.

This article originally appeared on The Times of India

COMMENTS (2)

fawad | 8 years ago | Reply "Modi is the prime minister of the country and not of the BJP" that says it all. In India people see PM as PM of everyone not of one political party, that is power of democracy.

Gp65 | 8 years ago | Reply What a strange headline. The fact that the man is Muslim instead of Indian is highlighted and the fact that the university is Indian instead of for Muslims is highlighted. You could have said Indi an man gives land for Indian university or you could have said Muslim man gives land for a university for Muslims. People in Pakistan still have difficulty internalizing the fact that Indians are Indians whether Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians or atheists and that there is no restriction on Muslims having mosques, madrassas or universities for Muslims in India.

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