Asaduddin Owaisi attacks UP govt's move to conduct survey of unrecognized madrassas

Hyderabad: AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi on Thursday found fault with Uttar Pradesh’s government’s decision to conduct a survey of unrecognized madrassas in the northern state, alleging that the move was meant to harass Muslims.

The government has no right to interfere in the functioning of these madrassas as they are private-run, not recognised as per the madrassa board and do not receive any aid from the government, he claimed.

“… private madrassas, neither have any dealing with the government nor does the government provide funds to them. Those recognised by the madrassa board have a connection to the government...” he told reporters here.

According to Article 30 of the Constitution, a fundamental right is available (for minorities) to set up an educational institution of choice, he said.

The AIMIM leader alleged that the UP government has not been paying the salaries in the madrassas associated with the madrassa board for the last four years, he claimed.

He termed the government's survey as “mini NRC”.

Responding to the allegations of anti-national activities vis-a-vis some madrassas, Owaisi said it is shamelessness as the same madrassas got independence for the country and they are now being looked at with suspicion.

This comes at a time when 75 years of Independence is being celebrated, he said.

Alleging that neither the NDA government at the Centre nor the Yogi Adityanath government in UP was paying salaries to teachers in Madrassas associated with the Madrassa board, he sought to know why the UP government wanted to conduct the survey of private Madrassas.

“Your only purpose is harassing, defaming Muslims, Islam,” he said.

Owaisi hit out at West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for her comments that all those in the RSS were “not bad” and there are many who “do not support BJP”.

In 2003 too, she had called RSS ‘patriots’ and in turn the Sangh called her as Durga, he recalled.

“When elections came, then secularism started. Now, she is saying there are good people in RSS. We would like to tell Mamata Banerjee for how long you will hoodwink Muslims in India and Bengal?” he asked.

The Uttar Pradesh government had on Wednesday announced its decision to conduct a survey of unrecognized madrassas in the state to gather information about number of teachers, curriculum, and basic facilities available there, among others.

Minister of State for Minority Affairs Danish Azad Ansari said that the state government will conduct the survey as per the requirement of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights in connection with the availability of basic facilities to the students in madrassas.