Undaunted by the High Court ban on Government allowance to Imams and Muazzims from Government kitty, Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday vouched to remain by the side of the Muslim even if it meant “eating half the bread.”
With the Calcutta High Court order coming at a time when the general elections are not far away and with a sizeable section of the Muslim clergy blaming the Chief Minister for handling the issue in a slapdash manner “to gain narrow political mileage”, Banerjee told a Muslim gathering that her Government would continue to sustain the poor clerics in a “democratic and legal manner.”
Banerjee, who listed a whole lot of developmental programmes her Government had undertaken for the Muslims in the past two years, said, “It is not proper for me to comment on the High Court order nor will I do so as I firmly believe that the law should take its own course”, but iterated “come what may the Government will continue to sustain the Imams and Muazzims in a democratic and legal manner.”
The court had earlier this week termed “unconstitutional” the State Government’s decision to pay the Imams (preachers) and Muazzims (who call the believers to Namaz) a monthly stipend of Rs 2,500 and Rs 1,500. The court had ruled that in a secular country like India it was violative of Articles 14 and 15(1) for the Government to pay out of the public exchequer members of any community for the religious works they perform.
Banerjee had in April 2012, announced payment of monthly allowances to the Muslim clerics. Consequent to the order 30,000 out of about 75,000 Imams had been getting the Government largesse. The High Court order came in the wake of a PIl filed by the BJP which challenged the Government decision. Speaking to an audience at a programme organised by the West Bengal Minority Development and Finance Commission to disburse scholarships among Muslim students, Banerjee said, “We will honour the court order but at the same time we vouch to remain by the sides of the poor Imams and Muazzims.”
She said, “A section of the Imams have been worried about their financial future after the order. let me tell you all we will respect the court order but at the same time ensure that you do not starve. If helping you means eating half the bread we in the Government will do that.” She added, “The Government will democratically and legally ensure that the Imams continue to get their livelihood.”
With the court order putting the Government in a fix in an election year and a section of the clerics holding Banerjee responsible for the mess, the Government said it was planning to circumvent the court order and transfer the requisite funds to the Wakf Boards in order to keep the stipends channel open.