Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday said that the state government has shut down 600 madrasas and he intends to close all as the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party government wants schools, colleges and universities instead. Sarma was addressing a BJP rally in the Belagavi district of poll-bound Karnataka.
“People from Bangladesh come to Assam and create a threat to our civilization and culture. I have closed 600 madrassas and I intend to close all madrassas because we do not want madrassas. We want schools, colleges and universities,” he said.
Sarma has been at the helm of the controversial law brought by the state government in 2020 that plans to convert all state-run madrasas to regular schools that impart “general education”. Several madrasas across the state have also faced demolition in the past year or so over alleged terror links.
The Assam Chief Minister, the BJP
Addressing the rally on Friday, Sarma said that erstwhile rulers of Delhi used to talk about destroying temples, but under the rule of the Narendra Modi
“Once upon a time, the ruler of Delhi used to talk about demolishing temples but today under PM Modi’s rule, I am talking about building temples. This is new India. Congress is working to weaken this new India. Congress is representing the new Mughals today,” Sarma said.
Following Sarma’s action on madrasas, similar calls have been made by BJP ministers in Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka.