Rakesh Tripathi, a spokesperson for Uttar Pradesh BJP, which runs the state government, said it was not against madrasahs and was concerned about the education of Muslim students.
“We are not against any madrasah but we are against discriminatory practices. We are against illegal funding, and the government will decide on further actions after going through the court’s order.”
Modi’s office did not immediately respond to an email on Saturday seeking comment on the court ruling.
“I AM SCARED”
Arguing for the federal government, which was a respondent in the case, Sudhanshu Chauhan told the court that “religious education and religious instructions of a single religion cannot be included in school education and the state government has no power to create statutory education boards permitting religious education”.
He said the government was not planning to revive a federal policy stopped in March 2022 that had provided funds to madrasahs to teach subjects like mathematics and science.
Madrasah official Javed, national secretary of the BJP’s minority wing, said that as a Muslim he is often caught between the priorities of his party and members of his community. He said he has been fielding numerous calls from fellow Muslims since Friday’s order, which came during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
“Sometimes it becomes very difficult,” he said. “I have to balance a lot because, being a Muslim, the party sends me to the community to convince them to vote for us and join the party. I am scared and I walk with personal security whenever I go to any public event or programme.”
The BJP’s Tripathi responded that Muslim BJP leaders had no reason to fear because their community equally benefits from various government welfare programmes.
“I am Hindu and I visit the Muslim community often and get good support from them,” he said. “The fact is that the BJP and the government is very serious about education and it’s doing its best.”
The BJP’s de facto parent organisation has been installing Muslims loyal to it in leadership positions at India’s Muslim universities as part of a push to garner Muslim votes.
The Uttar Pradesh government halted a funding programme for madrasahs in January, making 21,000 teachers jobless. Friday’s order applies to all madrasahs in the state, whether funded privately or by the government, Javed said.
The court did not give a timeline for its order, but Javed said madrasahs are unlikely to be closed right away.
The northeastern state of Assam, also ruled by the BJP, has been converting hundreds of madrasahs into conventional schools.
Source: CNA
