The Maharashtra government's decision to classify madarsa students as "out of school children" and the resultant controversy has led to the opposition alleging that the issue was being used to deflect attention from controversies surrounding BJP ministers in the state.
The Maharashtra government's decision to classify madarsa students as "out of school children" and the resultant controversy has led to the opposition alleging that the issue was being used to deflect attention from controversies surrounding BJP ministers in the state.
Muslim leaders also claim that there is a pattern in some decisions of the BJP-Shiv Sena government – ban on slaughter of bulls, scrapping quotas for Muslims and celebrating world yoga day. They allege that this is meant to marginalise their community further.
The minority development department, in its letter to the district administrations, has asked them to declare madarsa students as "out of school children" in its July 4 survey to identify such children and bring them into the mainstream.
Pointing to some BJP ministers in the state government being involved in controversies, AIMIM MLA from Aurangabad, Imtiaz Jaleel said, "Now, they have found Muslims are punching bags to divide attention from the main issue and shift focus."
Calling this an attempt at communal polarisation, Jaleel, a former journalist, questioned "if the government is serious about minority welfare, why did they cancel reservations (for Muslims)?"
He pointed to the contradiction as the Centre and the state government had schemes to modernise madrasas and urged that instead of spending crores on statutes and memorials, the money could be utilised for schools. Jaleel said that these Islamic schools were the need of the community.
"The mindset that anything connected to Muslims and madrasas is bad is wrong," said Jaleel, while supporting the need to modernise them and teach modern, secular subjects. He added that attempts to superimpose things on anyone was undemocratic and many madrasas had "adapted to changing times".
State Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant too alleged that the decision is an attempt to shift the spotlight from the controversies surrounding state ministers.
"These people are against madrasas since the beginning. Like Sanskrit is taught to (Hindu) children, Muslims are being taught in madrasas to become religious scholars. This is a fundamental right," said Samajwadi Party MLA and its Mumbai and Maharashtra chief Abu Asim Azmi, who has been educated in a madrasa at Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh.
"They are against liquor, nangapan (obscenity) and those who want it are against madrasas. This is communalism," he added, stating that madrasas did not want government funds and instead depended on donations. These institutions also take care of orphans and given them shelter and education, said Azmi.
However, BJP spokesperson Madhav Bhandari claimed that they were continuing with the policies of the previous government. "If they allege (that this is being done to manufacture a controversy and deflect attention)... then the best way for them is to ignore it and prevent a controversy from being created," he said. "Institutions which sought government grants needed to be open to state scrutiny."
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