‘Closed 600 madrassas, don’t want…’: Himanta Sarma in Karnataka

Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday claimed that he has closed 600 madrassas and intends to close all madrassas because he wants schools, colleges and universities instead.

Addressing a rally, meant for ‘Shiva Charithe’, at Belgavi’s Shivaji Maharaj Garden in poll-bound Karnataka, Sarma alleged that people from Bangladesh come to the northeastern state and create a threat to its civilization and culture.

“People from Bangladesh come to Assam & 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,” news agency ANI quoted Sarma as saying.

Last year, Sarma had claimed that Assam has become a hotbed of “jihadi activities” as five “jihadi” modules with links to Al Qaida-affiliated terror outfits in Bangladesh were busted. According to intelligence inputs, at least six ABT members from Bangladesh entered India illegally between 2016 and 2017 to set up terror modules and sleeper cells by indoctrinating local youths about “jihadi” ideology, Sarma said.

At Belgavi rally, Sarma also lashed out at the Congress and said the party showed that India’s history was all about the Mughal emperors and added that it represents the “new Mughals today”.

“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.

Accusing Congress and Communists of highlighting the Mughals in Indian history, the Assam chief minister said Indian history was also about Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

“The Congress and Communists showed that India’s history was all about Babur, Aurangzeb, and Shajahan. I want to tell that India’s history was not about them but about Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Guru Gobind Singh,” he said.

Sarma said during Aurangzeb’s rule, he made attempts to end the ‘Sanatan’ culture alleging that various people were forcefully converted to Islam.