Varsities shouldn’t become ground for ideological conflicts, says Shah
HT Correspondent
NEW DELHI: Universities should be a platform for exchange of ideas and not a battleground for ideological wars, Union home minister Amit Shah said on Thursday.
“There is no need to fight for ideology. Ideology cannot be established by fighting. Ideology progresses through debates and discussions and goes on for ages. Ideologies emerge from universities,” Shah said.
“Therefore, universities should not become the battleground for ideological wars, rather they should become platforms for exchange of views, ideas and to have discussions,” he added.
The Union minister was delivering the inaugural address of the three-day international seminar ‘Revisiting the Ideas of India from Swaraj to New India’ at Delhi University (DU) organised by the varsity’s political science department when he made the statement. It was Shah’s maiden event at the university.“no one remembers who destroyed the universities of Nalanda and Taxila. It is said that the library of Nalanda University burnt for months. But the thoughts they tried to destroy from those universities are intact even till now,” he told the crowd.
“Our universities have been the carriers of many movements since the Independence and now they can become carriers of movement of ideas,” he said. Congratulating DU for maintaining its relevance even after 100 years, Shah said: “For me, it is a matter of pride that DU has invited me to present my views. I was in a dilemma for a couple of minutes about whether I should go or not, but then I decided that I have to go and I should talk to people.”“it’s a big achievement that you have managed to retain your relevance even after 100 years... From Hari Singh Gour (the first VC of DU) to Yogesh Singh I congratulate them all,” he added. The minister also advised the youth to not just think about their rights but also take care of their duties and responsibilities towards the country, society and the poor, saying, “The Constitution has given rights to everyone but it has also mentioned the duties and responsibilities.” Meanwhile,
Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan who was also present during the occasion asked the DU to design some “futuristic courses”.“du can start a short-term diploma course on patent process. With that the students will not only become employable in India but also at the international level. DU should add futuristic courses to its curriculum,” he said.