A day after Aligarh Member of Parliament Satish Gautam objected to Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s picture on the walls of the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) student union office in a letter written to Vice Chancellor Tariq Mansoor, the 'minority’ institution has defended the decision to have the portrait, Hindustan Times reports.

AMU authorities have justified having Jinnah’s portrait by arguing that the Muslim League leader was one of the founder members of the university and was conferred with life membership of student union. The portrait has been on the walls of student union hall since 1938, university authorities have said.

“Traditionally, photographs of all life members are placed on the walls of the student union. 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 of the university, Shafey Kidwai, was quoted as saying.

The university said the portrait is “a historical preservation of the university’s legacy”.

Student Union President Maksoor Ahmad Usmani also defended the portrait, saying “the government has been a failure and they have not been able to do anything. So by raking it they are trying to make an issue of it.”

According to Times of India and The Pioneer, Usmani said the Muslim League leader was “a hero of undivided India”.

He said that the Bharatiya Janata Party MP should have written to the students union as the picture is placed in the student union Hall.

“We would have given a befitting reply to him,” he added.