Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay the foundation stone of Raja Mahendra Pratap Singh State University and also inspect exhibition models of Uttar Pradesh Defence Industrial Corridor and Raja Mahendra Pratap Singh State University in Aligarh on Tuesday.
The Prime Minister’s visit is being viewed as yet another move by the Bharatiya Janata Party to placate the Jat community of western UP which has been seething over the three new farm laws, no hike in cane price and high input costs of farming.
The ruling party is looking to send a message to the Jats that none of the previous regimes bestowed any honour on the ‘most powerful Jat king in the way he deserved.
While campaigning for by-elections for assembly seats Tundla in Firozabad and Iglas in neighbouring Hathras in 2019, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had announced the setting up of a State university after Raja Mahendra Pratap, who once donated land to Aligarh Muslim University (AMU). The Chief Minister had then said that even though the Jat king donated land for the AMU, his name was never engraved on its walls and hence, the BJP Government would set up a university to honour the Raja, who was a great freedom fighter, educationist and social reformer. The university will be set up in an area of over 92 acres in Lodha village and Musepur Kareem Jarouli village of Aligarh's Kol tehsil and once operational, it will provide affiliation to 395 colleges of Aligarh division.
Raja Mahendra Pratap Singh’s great grandson Charat Pratap Singh, who had earlier sent a legal notice to the AMU over lease expiration of the land donated by the Hathras royal, expressed satisfaction at the move.
“We are happy with the government decision. I would say ‘der aaye durust aaye’ better late than never). The family is very happy and we welcome the decision. This is a historical step. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has played an important role in setting up this new university. I personally congratulated him after this decision. He recognised the contribution of Raja Mahendra Pratap in the field of education. Some people are relating this decision with politics but we are not relating it with Jat politics,” he said.