Madrasa, Urdu & Imams' Honorarium

Mamata Banerjee and fate of West Bengal

Tapan Kumar Ghosh

Mamata Banerjee has crossed all limits. Wearing a veil of secularism she has shamelessly surrendered to the Islamic fundamentalists. A commoner can well understands that this blatant, unparalleled appeasement would cause great harm to West Bengal. However, Ms. Banerjee and her band of adulators have lost even that rudimentary sense.

Last 3rd April, Mamata convened a meeting of Imams at Netaji Indoor Stadium in Kolkata. She proudly declared a monthly honorarium of Rs.2500 per head that would definitely benefit 30,000 Imams of West Bengal. Did she really not cross all limits in all its' ramifications? The Govt. is convening the meeting of Imams at Govt. expenses. Does any Govt. have the right? Who is an Imam? One who conducts a Namaz in a mosque is known as an Imam. So, he represents a particular religious community. Does secular constitution of India permit any Govt. to organize any meeting solely consisting of religious representatives of any particular community? If this be secularism, then what exactly does the term “Communalism” connotes?

More recently she has announced that the mosque Muezzins would be provided with a monthly honorarium of Rs.1000. Imam’s duty is to conduct Namaz in a mosque and the Muezzin’s job is to recite the azaan or the ‘call to prayer’. Is that anyway related to running the Govt.? No co-relationship from any angle. Payment of this allowance/honorarium does not devolve onto any secular, neutral Govt. However, unethical politicians, unscrupulous political harlots and opportunists have their own incontrovertible logic behind their every action. What made Mamata's govt. conclude that these Imams are stricken with poverty? During last decade have the number of mosques gone up or come down? Have those not gone up multifold? Have not the area, volume and floors of these mosques gone up exponentially? Anybody with an open mind can realize that throughout the length and breadth of West Bengal, mosques have sprung up anywhere and everywhere and their luxurious look clearly indicate free flow of omnipresent fund.

So, are these Imams really poor? Is there any public or private survey? Does that survey indicate Imam's poverty? Mamata Banerjee refers to Sachar Committee on the drop of a hat, but even that Sachar committee refers to ordinary Muslims and it has got nothing to do with Imams. However, Mamata came to realize that these Imams are real destitute that led her open up the state exchequer allotting no less than Rs.90 crore annual outflow towards this great, magnanimous, benevolent cause! Weird! Is this the so called “Change”?

Even for the sake of the argument, if Imams are under gnawing poverty, on whom would devolve that responsibility for its' alleviation? How a Govt. elected on popular vote can be made accountable for that? Have those persons chosen to be Imams on any public interest or purely on religious affiliation and beliefs? The doors for any work are not close to them in this secular India. They can be employed in any kind of service, they can do business, they can be agriculturists, be teachers and choose amongst numerous other professions to earn a healthy living. They have relinquished all other avenues to become Imams on purely religious conviction.

So, how does the duty to look after these Imams devolve onto this Govt.? Is this Govt. paying this allowance to 30,000 Imams out of the salary and allowance of ministers and lawmakers? NO. They will pay out from public money---that is your money, my money and people's money.

Who has given this right to Govt. to embezzle this money? For the sake of power and pelf and narrow political interest this shameless, bottomless, senseless, baseless, meaningless and reckless appeasement policy has been set in squandering scarce public fund leading to nothing short of an abysmal embezzlement. Mamatadevi, remember, the people will never forgive you.

Appeasement has really crossed all limits in all its' ramifications. CPI(M) has also done the same thing. They have reserved 10% jobs for Muslims. Our constitution is crystal clear on this that no reservation can be effected on the ground of religion. So, CPI(M) started looking for loopholes in the law. All Muslims, rich as well as poor, irrespective of financial status were categorized as ‘OBC’ & thus Muslims got coveted reservation. Mamata included 33 more castes to take the number of Muslim OBC castes to 98. She further declared, eight more castes will be included subsequently. She has also formed a task force to explore innovative possibilities as to how to hoodwink our secular constitution and make open the Govt. coffer for unbridled unconstitutional benefits to the Muslims.

This blatantly shameless and perilous act of Mamata has made common Hindus think that they are the 2nd class citizens of India. This highly discriminatory act numbs every right thinking Indian. In fact, all the political parties all across the spectrum in India have only one point of commonality in appeasing the Muslims and they compete with each other pandering to the instincts of electoral profit. Those who have further foresight clearly visualize in this sinister design a footstep towards converting WB into Pakistan. We have said many times “The blind can’t see the dark clouds of Pakistan in the sky of West Bengal. The deaf can’t hear the drumbeats of Pakistan in every nook and corner of WB”. A live demonstration of that got enacted on 19th/20th/21st March 2012, on the pretext of publishing a cartoon in The Telegraph. The media gagged such a vital news. So, people of distant places remained blind on those happenings. But Hindus of Park Circus, Rajabazar, Tikiapara, Basirhat, Mullikbazar saw those plundering with their own eyes. Many buses and cars were damaged. Traffic remained a standstill for hours. Men felt distressed, neighborhood remained cut off. Mamata’s police and administration simply vanished.

Police has got the hint as to what their duty is. They have to protect all types of unscrupulous and illegal acts of Muslims and mercilessly beat the Hindu mass. Did not the same signal propagate from this Imam meeting? All the top shots of Police heard with their own ears the slogan of “Narae takbir Allahu Akbar”. They heard the hypes of Insallah, Shobhanallah, Alaikum Salaam and the likes in a govt. sponsored meeting. Did these officers not understand what they have to do back in the Police Stations? That resulted in merciless beating of Hindu Samhati workers by police on 14th Feb and a message of good wishes and greetings from busy Mamata’s mobile on 15th Feb in the meeting of Jamaat-e- Islam blocking main thoroughfare of Kolkata.

Mamata has already declared that the ten thousand Madrasas those are outside the ambit of State Madrasa Education Board would be recognized by the state government. The curriculum of these Madrasas, the presentation as well as those conducting the courses will not only be completely beyond the purview of Madrasa Board or the control of the government but also they would be beyond governmental observation. Yet, they would have governmental recognition. The state government has not even an iota of idea as to how dangerous and perilous the consequence would be.

Do these madrasas teach its students to respect all religions and treat all religions alike? Only one religion is true, all other religions are false, lead us to hell are cursed in the eyes of god and worth destroying --- can such philosophy create an atmosphere of peace and harmony? Without thoroughly deliberating on these issues, without thinking the pros and cons; the whole state, the whole country and that of humanity is being pushed towards a crisis zone, a zone that is furthest from tolerance. Our question to Mamatadevi, does madrasa education impart any benefit to the individual student or to the country? 

Mamata is taking one after another decision highly detrimental to national interest. A series of ill conceived decisions rather. She has declared Urdu as the second official language in those districts of WB where Urdu speaking population is just 10%. This is another self suicidal and divisive policy. Domination of Urdu spurred the language movement in erstwhile East Pakistan. The Urdu speaking Pakistani rulers tried to crush the movement with a brutal crackdown. A sequel to this, out of Pakistan emerged a new nation Bangladesh purely on a linguistic basis. Recognition of Urdu in WB is a slap to the face of those language martyrs. It is an umbrage towards Bengali language a disgrace to those who had dedicated their lives for the cause of Bengali language. It is another glaring example of blatant communal appeasement. Neither the state nor its' people will be benefited a scintilla.

The Left Front Govt. had constructed an eight storey Hajj Manzil on VIP Road in Kolkata to facilitate Hajj Pilgrims. Immediately after assuming power in WB, Mamata thundered, “I shall make 20 Storey Hajj Manzil in Rajarhat.” It is a fierce competition between opposing political parties for appeasement. This is going on unabashed and unabated in WB. This rat race is going on and on round the clock on each and every issue. However, both these govts. were indifferent and nonchalant towards the cause of Hindu Pilgrims who visit Gangasagar every year on Makar Sankranti day during winter season. Forget about a 8 storey or 20 storey structure, not a single brick was laid down to give these Hindu pilgrims any shelter. In contrast to the luxury afforded to the Hajj pilgrims, these political Lords think that a tarpaulin shed in Kolkata Maidan or a temporary shed made of Hogla leaves in Gangasagar is more than sufficient for the Hindu pilgrims. Moreover, during the festival period, the bus fare from Kolkata to Gangasagar gets hiked 2.5 times and Steamer fare 6 times to squeeze these gullible Hindu Pilgrims. The central Govt. pays Rs.40,000 subsidies per head on Hajj pilgrimage. In India this is known as ‘secularism’.

Today's new generation might be too naive to understand as to what is going on in the name of change! The elderly persons understand the days of Suhrawardy prior to 1947 is back and this is exactly what Mamata has brought about. The next step is Pakistan. That is what had happened 65 years back and that is what is very much on the cards.

Hindus of Bengal, be ready to face that catastrophe that deluge, that nightmare. The political ancestors of Mamata Banerjee turned East Bengal into Pakistan.  Being the bearer of the same legacy and tradition, the posterior generation of Suhrawardy in the new incarnation of Mamata Banerjee would soon turn West Bengal into Pakistan. Thus would come true the cherished desire of Quaid-i-Azam Jinnah. Residents of South Calcutta, please ponder at least, the MP of South Calcutta Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee once saved West Bengal from the clutch of Pakistan. The MP & MLA from the same area now, Mamata is all set to neutralize the work of Dr. Mukherjee and turning Bengali Hindus’ lives full of horrendous misery.