Even as protests by students and parents continue across the Andaman and Nicobar Islands over the proposed transition of local higher education institutions from the existing university framework to a deemed university model, BJP’s Andaman and Nicobar unit president Anil Kumar Tiwari is set to attend a major public programme in his home state of Uttar Pradesh later this week.
According to details circulating about the event, Tiwari will travel to Khair in Uttar Pradesh, his home district, where a grand felicitation ceremony has been planned on February 19 following his inauguration of the Siddhi Vinayak Cold Storage facility in the area.
Organisers claim that the programme is expected to draw a large turnout, with more than 20,000 farmers likely to attend the event where Tiwari will be the chief speaker. The gathering has been described as a “historic welcome” marking his first visit to the district after assuming charge as the BJP’s state president in the islands.
Tiwari’s planned participation in the event comes at a politically sensitive time in the islands, where the proposed shift in the higher education system has triggered demonstrations by sections of students and parents who fear uncertainty over degrees, affiliations and the future of local institutions.
While the administration and political leadership have held a series of meetings with stakeholders in recent days, the issue continues to generate debate, with opposition parties and sections of civil society questioning the timing and manner of the proposed transition.
Some leaders within the BJP’s island unit, speaking on condition of anonymity, privately admitted that the optics of the state president travelling outside the islands during a sensitive phase of the education row could be politically uncomfortable. One party functionary said that while the local leadership has limited room to oppose a policy backed by the Union government, there is also an expectation among workers that senior leaders should be visibly engaged with concerns on the ground.
Political observers say the BJP leadership in the islands is walking a tightrope, as the policy push originates from the Union government, limiting the room for the local unit to openly distance itself from the move. In this backdrop, Tiwari’s visit outside the islands during the ongoing agitation may invite criticism from sections of the student community who have been demanding clearer assurances from political leaders.
There has been no official statement from the BJP’s island unit yet on whether Tiwari will return immediately after the Uttar Pradesh event or engage directly with student representatives on his return.
