Samajwadi Party leader Maviya Ali has added fuel to the already raging controversy over UP government’s directive asking state funded madrasas to celebrate independence day by claiming that `` we are the muslim first Indian later’.
“We are not ready to abide by the directions issued by the UP government. I want to reinstate that we are Muslims first and Indians next. If any situation leads to a rift with Islam then, we will not stand by the constitution. We would stand by Islam,” Maviya Ali said.
``The directives issued by the UP Madarsa shiksha parishad are against the tenets of Islam and be withdrawn. The madarsas cannot be forced by the state government to celebrate the independence day and its students to sing national anthem and national song’’, said Maviya Ali adding `` the muslims of India will never accept the government’s order which is not only against the Islamic values but also a clear infringement of their religious rights’’.
The SP leader had unsuccessfully contested the March 2017 elections and had lost to Brijesh Singh of the BJP. He had won from the Deoband assembly seat in the by elections held in this constituency in February 2016 as Congress candidate. A year later he deserted the Congress and joined the SP ahead of the 2017 assembly elections.
Ali is not new to controversies. In 2015, he had said that there was no harm if VHP leader Sadhvi Prachi was killed. Ali’s remark was in response to Sadhvi Prachi’s equally poisonous statement on Dadri lynching in October 2015. Prachi had said ‘that beef-eaters deserve such fate.
The UP Madarsa shiksha Parishad on August 3 had directed all the state funded madrassas to hold celebrations on Independence Day and the students will sing the national anthem. The madarsas have also been asked to videograph the event. At present around 8,000 madarsas are recognized by the Parishad. Among them 560 are fully aided by the state government.
The minority affairs minister Chowdhary lakshi Narayan had defended the move of the Madarsa Shiksha Parishad saying that the celebration will inspire students and they will learn more about the contribution of the freedom fighters. He said the children can treasure the memories of the Independence Day celebrations through the photographs and videos which will also act as a source of inspiration for others
The minister of state for minority affairs Baldev Aulakh even warned of action against madrassas which do not follow the order. Aulakh said, “We have asked for videography of all programmes. We can check at random as to which madrassa has celebrated it or not. If any madrassa does not celebrate it, action will be taken against it,” he said, without elaborating.
All India Muslim Personal law Board member Maulana Khalid Rashid Farangi Mahli, however, questioned the need for the directive and whether it was only for madrassas or for all the schools. “If it is only in madrassas, does it mean that our patriotism is being suspectedIJ” he said. The event to be held on August 15 should include hoisting the tri-colour, singing the national anthem and paying tributes to freedom fighters, an official circular said.