TNI Bureau: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has declared his plan to intensify his campaign against madrassas in the state, with the aim of shutting down all of them regardless of government support. He intends to convert these institutions into regular schools that can offer general education instead.
The Chief Minister made this announcement during his campaign in poll-bound Karnataka, stating that his government has already closed down 600 madrassas. He emphasized the need for schools, colleges, and universities instead of madrassas. The statement was made at the BJP’s ‘Vijay Sankalp Yatra’ event in Belagavi, Karnataka.
In 2020, the assam Chief minister, introduced a law requiring the conversion of all state-run madrassas into regular schools. Since taking office, his government has intensified its efforts to regulate madrassas and other Islamic institutions that operate outside a prescribed curriculum.
Sarma has also promised to remove Bangladeshi immigrants from government land. Last year, he stated that Assam had become a hotbed of “jihadi activities,” citing the discovery of five modules with ties to an Al Qaeda-affiliated group that were apprehended.
As of January 2023, there are approximately 3,000 registered and unregistered madrasas in the state, according to sources.
In addition, Sarma criticized previous Congress governments for allegedly permitting the influx of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants into the state. He argued that if the Congress had implemented stricter regulations on illegal migration, the state would not be in its current situation.