New Delhi, Nov 9 (IANS): A day after the Supreme Court delivered a split verdict (4:3) to nullify the significant 1967 ruling, concerning the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) , Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Saturday said this bastion of education needs to be saved from falling into the pit of communalism.

Talking to IANS, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said, "An institute should not only be minority but also exemplary. AMU has its own glorious history. But this bastion of education needs to be saved from the pit of communalism."

"I have been a member of the Aligarh University Court many times, I remember very well about the first persons who graduated from here. Even today, more than 60 per cent of the students studying in medical courses and almost the same number in B.Tech are non-Muslim or non-minority. Therefore, the bastion of inclusive education should be saved from the pit of communal mischief," he added.

On Friday, the seven-judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud ruled, with 4:3, to overturn a key 1967 judgement on the Aligharh Muslim University (AMU) - which removed minority status. It also said that a regular bench will decide whether AMU is a minority institution based on the indicia laid down by the seven-judge bench. The bench also directed that AMU’s status would be determined afresh following the principles evolved in the present verdict.

The senior BJP leader also reacted on Russian President Vladmir Putin praising PM Modi’s leadership and described India and Russia as ‘strategic partners’.

"In the time of crisis in the whole world, the way there is a hue and cry of war, India is seen in the role of a troubleshooter. People believe that under the leadership of PM Modi, India stands firmly in the role of a troubleshooter in times of crisis in the world. Apart from Putin, leaders of many countries have also said that under the leadership of PM Modi, India is an emerging superpower in the world now," he concluded.