Admissions must be on merit, not communal lines: CM on SMVDIME, NLU

JAMMU: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday made a strong pitch for merit-based admissions in professional institutions and cautioned against attempts to link education with religious or communal considerations.
Intervening during the proceedings of the Legislative Assembly, the Chief Minister said there was no rationale in questioning or seeking the closure of the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence (SMVDIME) on religious grounds, adding that professional education must remain inclusive and guided solely by merit.
“Medical colleges are not meant to be run on religious lines. If minority status was the concern, then SMVDU should have been declared a minority institution at the very beginning,” he said. The Chief Minister underlined that admissions to medical colleges are governed strictly by merit and national norms. Attempts to communalise the issue would be counterproductive, he added.
“By raising such arguments, you end up cutting your nose to spite your face,” the Chief Minister said, drawing attention to what he described as the self-defeating nature of such demands.
On legal education, the Chief Minister referred to the National Law University (NLU) in Jammu and pointed out that admissions there too are entirely merit-based. If students from any community, including Muslims, secure admission to NLU on merit, will there then be a demand to shut down the university in Jammu? he asked and cautioned against the slippery slope of politicising educational institutions.
He said that merit-driven institutions are designed to serve students from all backgrounds and regions, and any attempt to inject communal considerations into admission processes undermines both academic integrity and social harmony.
Reiterating the government’s commitment to equality and inclusiveness, the Chief Minister said education should act as a unifying force rather than a divisive tool. Focus must remain on merit, access and excellence, not on creating artificial fault lines among students, he said.
The Chief Minister’s remarks came amid a broader debate in the House on higher education infrastructure and access, and were seen as a clear signal that the government would not support narratives that seek to polarise students or institutions on religious or regional grounds.