New Delhi, Jul 30 (UNI) Mr Zafar Sareshwala, chancellor of Maulana Azad Urdu University, who is said to be a close aide of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has faulted Muslims for not trying to establish communication with the NDA government over the minority character of the Aligrah Muslim University. ‘’We just presupposed that we have to act in animosity against someone; never realizing that opening channels of communication could change things,’’ Mr Sareshwala told UNI on the sidelines of a function of the Aligargh Duty society here last night. The Ahmedabad-based businessman was once a staunch critic of the Prime Minister after the Gujarat riots but later turned into his staunch supporter after, as he says, having good experience in engaging him. ‘’The fault lies in us as a community. We have not articulated our views and concern in proper perspective to our national leadership,’’he said. The Centre had recently sought to withdraw the affidavit from the Supreme Court challenging the Allahabad High Court judgement that the AMU was not a minority institution. It was not that people were not ready to listen to the Muslims’ point of view, he said adding that he had even spoken to those in the VHP and RSS and came to view that problems could be sorted out by communications. Mr Sareshwala said the people in the AMU should have come forward and tried to present their point of view to the widest possible sections of the ruling dispensation. It was in 2006, that the previous UPA government and the AMU had appealed against the Allahabad High Court order that struck down a 1981 parliamentary amendment to grant university minority status. The amendment circumvented a 1967 SC ruling which said AMU was not a minority institution as was established by the government and not Muslims. The apex court earlier this month gave AMU four weeks time to file its response to the Centre’s affidavit seeking withdrawal of the appeal filed by the UPA. Earlier, speaking at the seminar organized by the Aligarh Duty Society, Mr Sareshwala, who is a entrepreneur from Gujarat, said Muslims should shake off the perception that they could not progress in the country as they were being discriminated against. Everybody in today’s world values merit and competence, and a competent and meritorious Muslim candidate should not have any need for anyone’s recommendation, he said. President of the Aligarh Duty Society Nadeem Tarin, an AMU old boy and a Saudi Arab-based philanthrophist who is financing many developmental and welfare schemes in India, said he also wanted that Muslims should come out of the feeling of despondency and join the national mainstream in full steam. As far as the minority character of the AMU was concerned, he said that his alma mater had a special character and irrespective of whether it was called minority character or by any other name. UNI NAZ PR AE 1621