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Aligarh/New Delhi: Hindu Yuva Vahini, an outfit founded by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, has issued a 48-hour ultimatum to the Aligarh Muslim University to remove the portrait of Muhammad Ali Jinnah. If the portrait is not removed in two days, Vahini members vowed to do it forcibly. The ultimatum was given by Hindu Yuva Vahini vice-president Aditya Pandit.

On Monday, a Bharatiya Janata Party MP had asked the AMU to explain why a portrait of Pakistan’s founder was hanging on the walls of the university’s student union office. The Congress had described the MP's demand as the BJP’s "diversionary tactic" to skirt issues that impact the hoi polloi.

Aligarh MP Satish Gautam had earlier this week written a letter to vice-chancellor Tariq Mansoor and raised his objection to Jinnah’s portrait. Defending the portrait which has probably been hanging there for years, AMU spokesman Shafey Kidwai had on Tuesday underlined that Jinnah was a founder member of the University Court.

"Jinnah was also accorded life membership of the AMUSU in 1938. He was the founder member of the University Court in 1920 and also a donor,” the spokesman said, adding: “He was granted membership before the demand of Pakistan had been raised by the Muslim League.”

Responding to Gautam's letter, Congress spokesperson Sushmita Dev called it a diversionary tactic. "This is yet another diversionary tactic to divert the minds of the people from real issues to polarising issues, rather than address those that impact the common man of India," she said.

The controversy comes a week after "RSS activist" Amir Rasheed sent a letter to the AMU vice-chancellor, seeking his consent to organise a shakha on the campus. AMU spokesman Shafey Kidwai, however, replied, "The University is not considering any proposal for allowing any camp or shakha organised by any political party."

"We have a tradition of not allowing political parties to put up their candidates either for contesting the Students' Union polls or the Teachers' Association elections," the AMU spokesman had said.