Sajad Lone Cautions Against ‘Communalising Medical Sciences’ Amid SMVDU Admission Row

Srinagar: Peoples’ Conference president and MLA Handwara, Sajad Gani Lone, on Sunday expressed strong concern over what he termed an emerging attempt to “communalise medical sciences” in connection with the ongoing controversy surrounding admissions at the Medical School of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University.

Mr. Lone, in a statement issued to Alfaaz – The Words, said the discourse taking shape around the matter pointed to an “alarming politicisation” of one of the country’s most merit-driven academic disciplines.

“This is too much of a stretch. The BJP is now experimenting with the concept of communalising medical sciences,” he remarked, urging political actors to avoid undermining established constitutional and academic norms.

Emphasising the transparency of the medical admission process in India, he said, “There is a proper admission test called NEET, and it is an All-India examination.” He said that seats in medical colleges are secured strictly on merit, following rigorous national competition.

Mr. Lone underscored the commitment demanded of students pursuing the profession. “The finest brains in the country sit that exam, and those who get selected work hard to become doctors. These doctors serve people, treat them, and perform surgeries,” he said.

He further highlighted the tradition of scientific inquiry that underpins modern medical innovation. “The finest brains go even further. They dedicate their lives to research, developing new ideas, experimenting in laboratories, and finding ways to defeat diseases,” he said, citing the evolution of technologies such as MRI and CT scanning as examples of sustained global scientific effort.

Describing the present political turn as an affront to scientific legacy, he said, “The scientists who made all this possible would turn in their graves if they saw medicine being reduced to a subject trapped in communal rhetoric by undereducated political leaders of the BJP.”

Calling for higher standards in public life, Mr. Lone added, “I wish a basic level of IQ were made imperative and a prerequisite for entering public life.”

He said India should be aspiring toward global leadership in medical research rather than becoming embroiled in divisive debates. “India should be joining hands with other nations in the field of research. We have not contributed to medical sciences to the extent expected from us,” he said.

Reiterating the need to nurture scientific temperament, he concluded, “We need to attract the best minds and foster a culture of research. Medical science needs researchers, not religious zealots.”