Himanta Biswa Sarma, the chief minister of Assam, promised to keep up his campaign against madrasas in the state, claiming that people prefer to attend schools and colleges for their education.
“I have shut down 600 madrasas, and I plan to shut down every madrasa because we don’t want them. We want schools, colleges, and institutions,” Himanta Biswa declared on Thursday during the BJP’s Vijay Sankalp Yatra in Belagavi, a city that is preparing for elections in Karnataka.
All state-run madrasas were to be converted into “regular schools” that provide “general education,” according to a contentious legislation that Sarma had notably introduced in Assam in 2020. There are 3,000 registered and unregistered madrasas in the province as of January 2023.
The senior BJP official increased his rhetoric against illegal immigrants, saying that “people from Bangladesh come to Assam and create a threat to our civilization and culture”.
He also attacked the Left and the Congress for allegedly using a “pro-Mughal” narrative to distort India’s past.
“Congress and Communists demonstrated that Babur, Aurangzeb, and Shah Jahan played a central role in Indian history. I want to say that Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Guru Gobind Singh, and Swami Vivekananda are who India’s past is about, not them,” Sarma said.
He called the opposition group the “new Mughals,” compared it to the Mughals, and claimed that they were attempting to weaken the nation. He criticized the party for bringing up the Babri Mandir controversy and for being against the building of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.
He claimed that the BJP, in stark opposition to the Congress, believes in creating new temples rather than demolishing old ones.
“The ruler of Delhi once spoke of tearing down sanctuaries, but today, under the leadership of PM Modi, I am speaking of erecting temples. It’s a different India. The Congress is attempting to undermine the emerging India. Today, Congress is the new Mughals’ representative, according to Sarma.
He continued by saying that many Indians openly identify as Muslims and Christians. “I have no issue with that, but we need someone who can firmly assert their Hindu identity. Today, India requires someone like that, the BJP leader said.
