UGC to celebrate 'Surgical Strike Day'; Cong asks why not on Nov 8

New Delhi: HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar said on Friday that a University Grants Commission's communication asking varsities to celebrate anniversary of surgical strikes is "patriotism not politics", and it is not compulsory for institutes to organise it.

With opposition leaders accusing the government of politicising surgical strikes, Javadekar, a senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, rejected their criticism as "absolutely ridiculous and false".

He told reporters that the ruling BJP differed with the Congress as it only gave advice to institutes to follow a programme while the Congress made following its decisions compulsory when it was in power.

An advisory not a direction has been issued to universities, he said.

"Where is politics? This is not politics but patriotism," he said, adding that students needed to be informed about the surgical strikes, and military and civil works soldiers do.

He claimed that students and institutes had made suggestions that the second anniversary of surgical strikes, which the army had carried out across the border in Pak-occupied-Kashmir on September 29 in 2016, should be commemorated.

Colleges have been asked to organise parades by National Cadet Corps (NCC) and lectures by ex-army officers.

Asked why it was not commemorated last year, he said a good suggestion can be executed anytime.

The University Grants Commission (UGC) had on Thursday directed varsities and higher educational institutions across the country to observe September 29 as "Surgical strike day".

Senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal on Friday asked whether the University Grants Commission would "dare" to celebrate November 8, the day when demonetisation was announced in 2016, as 'surgical strike day'.

"UGC directs VC's of all universities to celebrate 29th September as Surgical Strike Day. Is this meant to educate or to serve BJP's political ends?" Sibal tweeted.

"Will UGC dare to celebrate 8th November as Surgical Strike Day depriving the poor of their livelihoods? This another jumla!" the former Union minister said.

Sibal also questioned the reasons behind agreeing for the meeting between External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and her Pakistani counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.

"3 policemen kidnapped by terrorists in J&K (September 2018). India protest with Pakistani military for beheading of two soldiers in J&K (July 2018). Despite Modi's surprise birthday visit, Indo-Pak talks sidelined. Now Sushma will meet Qureshi on the sidelines of UN. Why?" he tweeted.