Having made such a wild allegation, he tried to intimidate people that “while the population of Muslims in the state is about 18 per cent, these areas have a higher concentration. Moreover, he alleged that there is a strong presence of the banned PFI across the state. So the situation poses a grave challenge to the country’s internal security”.

He proceeded thereafter to criticise the JDU and the RJD-led Government in Bihar for appeasing the Muslim community and ignoring the threat of the mushrooming growth of “illegal” madrasas and mosques in the state. But the statement of Giriraj Singh has been brushed aside by the leaders of the RJD and the JDU and they have accused him of playing a communal card.

There may be multiple reasons why Giriraj Singh has consistently used polarising words and imagery in his public exhortations, the latest being about madrasas and mosques. By claiming that madrasas and mosques have been “illegally constructed”, he is playing to the gallery of the party’s hard-core supporters. Sources suggest that the party may deny him a ticket in the upcoming Lok Sabha election. Fearing his exclusion, he has tried to establish his relevance and resumed making such statements to re-consolidate his position as a fire-brand leader of the state BJP.

Giriraj Singh is aware of the fact that the myth of the population rise of Muslims has penetrated deep inside the psyche of a section of the majority community with the help of continuous propaganda. By raising such an issue, he is trying to attract media attention for himself and the party. Such a communal card may also work to counter the “re-assertion” of Mandal politics in the state.

Under the leadership of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav, the Bihar government has recently conducted a caste survey in the state. Based on the findings of reports, the Bihar assembly passed a unanimous resolution to increase the quota for the marginalised castes to 65 per cent. Although the opposition BJP supported the resolution for the quota increase, the upper caste lobby within the BJP was not happy with the party’s decision. The upper castes lobby believes that the quota increase would be detrimental to their “dwindling hold on the state politics”. A section of the upper caste leadership has always demanded that the BJP should promote upper caste leaders in the state, rather than using the mascot of Nitish Kumar. After Nitish parted ways with the BJP the same lobby is now once again trying to strengthen the upper caste hold within the party.

But the top leadership of the BJP understands the compulsion of Bihar politics. In the state, the upper castes are numerically a minority and they alone cannot help the saffron party win elections. Therefore, the BJP is trying to maintain “a balance” in Bihar. While it has supported the quota increase to woo marginalised castes, it has often promoted firebrand leaders within the party who are capable of polarising voters on religious lines. Giriraj Singh is one of them and he is trying to do what the hard-core supporters may feel appeased.

However, this statement may fetch the BJP some votes but would certainly also strain the social fabric of Bihar. Such a statement is also historically erroneous and misleadingly portrays what has been a rich tradition of India’s freedom fighters.

The act of linking madrasas with security threats and terrorism is a relatively recent phenomenon. The act of demonising madrasas is a part of wider Islamophobic discourse. The writings of orientalist writers (including historians), at first systematically demonised Muslim rules in their education and culture and called Muslims essentially (only) a religious community.

It was these Orientalist authors who created a false binary. For them, western society is based on the values of secularism, science, rationality and democracy, the Muslim society has an inherent bias against secularism, and are mired in “fanaticism” and “bigotry”.

Now, the post-2001 war on terror discourse, first fuelled after the end of the Cold War has further ignited Islamophobic discourse, generating a fear of madrasas. The demonisation of madrasas is, hence the re-calibration and continuance of the same Orientalist prejudice against Muslims.

Under the influence of Islamophobia, the madrasas are suspiciously looked at by both the right and unfortunately a section of the left. Such discourse has also been used by majoritarian parties, such as the BJP, to polarise society on religious lines. When Atal Bihari Vajpayee came to power, the establishment launched a campaign against madrasas and wild charges were made against madrasas. They were linked to “anti-national” activities, the way Giriraj Singh has not yet elaborated. But these charges were never proven. Yet, proof does not matter, such an anti-Muslim narrative is often invoked to target the minority community.

Targeting of madrasas or calling them a “den” of “anti-anti-national” activities is, besides being prejudicial and Islamophobic, also an act of insulting our freedom fighters and undermining India’s anti-colonial struggle. Historians have shown how, the Khilafat Movement in the early 1920s shook the foundation of the mighty British Empire. Under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi and the Ulema of Deoband Seminary, millions of people turned mobilised British rule.

It is a historical fact that the success of the Khilafat Movement turned out to be the result of the rock-solid alliance between the Congress party and the Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind. Formed in 1919, the organisation was an integral part of Darul Uloom Deoband.

A large number of nationalist leaders, who worked with the Congress party, had a madrasas education background, including the Deoband seminary that was set up in 1866.

Apart from Gandhi, Dr Rajendra Prasad, the freedom fighter, the Congress leader and the first President of India, had intimate relations with madrasas. In his autobiography, Rajendra Prasad devoted the third chapter to fondly remembering his association with “Maulvi Saheb”, who “initiated” him “into the alphabet”. Prasad, the big Congress leader from Bihar, went to Maktab in his childhood where he learnt Persian. It was because of his Maulvi Saheb that Rajendra Prasad learnt to read Persian texts such as Karima, Gulistan, Bostan etc. Paying tribute to the Maulvi Saheb, Rajendra Prasad wrote in his autobiography, “The little Persian we learn goes entirely to this Maulvi’s credit. We had started liking him and we felt sorry to leave when we had to go to Chapra” (Rajendra Prasad, An Autobiography, NBT, New Delhi, 2018, p. 8).

History is witness to the fact that a large number of Hindu scholars also attended madrasas for education. Learning Urdu and Arabic, Persian and going to madrasa were open to all. Similarly, Muslim scholars also learnt Awadhi, Braj Bhasha, Hindi and Sanskrit and went to the educational centres run by Hindu teachers.

The composite culture of India and the historical reality are witness to the fact that madrasas were never called a place for breeding “anti-Hindu” or “anti-national” feelings, the way Giriraj Singh has alleged.

In the same statement made last Friday wherein he reviled mosques and madrasas, Giriraj Singh called for imparting science to Muslim students and implied that they should desist from going to madrasas. Similar rants have also been attributed to the BJP chief minister of Assam Himanta Biswa Sarma. In 2018, Prime Minister Modi too made his infamous statement that he would like to see “Muslim Youth hold the Quran in one hand and a computer in the other”.  Exhortations apart, this ground reality exposes the questionable intentions of BJP leaders.

For example, several news reports from Uttar Pradesh reveal that the madrasa teachers, who were recruited to impart computer education and science along with English in these institutions, have not been paid a salary by the government for months.

Similarly, the Modi Government rolled back the Maulana Azad scholarship for minorities, even though Muslim youth are underrepresented in higher education. Worse still, the BJP government continues to cut the budget for minority education and their welfare schemes.

Recently the BJP has invoked the Pasmanda Muslim issue and tried to project itself as a “champion” of their rights. But such an act appears to be the classic instance of shedding crocodile tears. Had it not been the case, the BJP governments would not have failed to give protection to the Muslims from communal forces whose large population compromised Dalit and backward caste Muslims. The saffron party has also failed to take concrete steps to address their social and economic backwardness.

The BJP, which raises the issues of the Pasmanda Muslims, has so far failed to give proportional representation to them. While it is at the forefront to point out how they are discriminated against by the upper caste Muslims, it has offered no concrete programmes to address their social and economic backwardness.

For example, the Pasmanda Muslims are yet to get adequate seats in the assembly and Parliamentary elections from within the BJP. Ali Anwar, the leader of the Pasmanda Muslims, has rightly raised a question on the BJP’s intention to give justice to Pasmanda Muslims by saying that Bilkis Bano was also a Pasmanda but why she had been denied justice.

In his Bhopal meeting last summer, Prime Minister Modi raised the issue of “untouchability” within the Muslim community but when the Supreme Court asked the Government to spell out its stand on giving SC status to Dalit and Christian Muslims, the Government spoke a different language by saying that caste does not exist in Islam to weaken the case for SC status to Dalit Muslims and Dalit Christians.

What could be a better example than this about speaking in forked tongue?

It appears that the statement of Giriraj Singh has less to do with historical facts and ground reality and more to do with fermenting communal polarisation. Amidst these disturbing trends, the need of the hour is to maintain communal harmony and fight for social justice.

(Dr Abhay Kumar, the author is a Delhi-based journalist.)

[1] Union Minister Giriraj Singh stirred controversy on Friday December 1, 2023 with a call for the closure of “illegal madrasas” in Bihar, citing concerns over the rising numbers and saying that they pose a “threat to the internal security of the state and the nation.”

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UP: After Madrasas, Yogi Govt to Survey Waqf Properties; Muslim Citizens Doubt ‘Intention’

The post Demonising the Madrasa is insulting India’s freedom fighters  appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Patna: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Union Minister, Giriraj Singh has demanded a survey of madrasas and mosques in Bihar similar to that in Uttar Pradesh.

“We demanded from the Nitish Kumar government to conduct survey on the madrasas and mosques of Bihar, especially in Muslim-dominated Seemanchal region. We must have data about who are running madrasas and mosques in these regions and who are staying in them,” Singh said.

“The Yogi Adityanath government has taken the right decision and is conducting the survey of madrasas and mosques in Uttar Pradesh. We need the approach in Bihar as well to check at least those who are taking shelters in madrasas and mosques,” the Union MInister added.

Seemanchal region of Bihar is considered Muslim dominant area of Bihar where more than 60 per cent population belongs to Muslim community. Moreover, a large number of Rohingya and Bangladeshi nationals are also residing there illegally.

Courtesy: The Daily Siasat

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Taking a dig at Rahul Gandhi’s nomination from Wayanad (a Muslim majority constituency), Singh said, “Did you see the procession in Wayanad when Rahul Gandhi filed his nomination papers? It seemed he was going to contest from Rawalpindi in Pakistan. The flags seen there bore so much resemblance with Pakistan flags. They spread hate, not love,” further alleging that green flags gave an impression of Muslim-affiliated religious or political institutions. Further, he said that his fight from this parliamentary constituency is against a “gang” working for “breaking up” India, and asserted that he represents the agenda of cultural nationalism and development.

Continuing with his communal remarks, Singh said, “I would like to say, Giriraj Singh’s ancestors died and were cremated. You need a yard of land even after you die, for the burial of your mortal remains. If you say you cannot chant Vande Mataram, this nation will never forget you,” in an election rally at Begusarai where BJP chief Amit Shah was also present.

Opposition parties such as the RJD (which has a green flag) and Congress have condemned Singh’s statement with RJD demanding a ban on Singh.

RJD national spokesman Manoj Jha said Giriraj spat venom whenever he spoke. “He should be named Vishraj (the venom king) Singh instead of Giriraj Singh,” said Jha, wondering how the national flag would look if green was removed from it.

Commenting on Singh’s statement, RJD leader and former Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar Tejashwi Yadav said, “This is an insult to the tricolour. The green colour is there in Tiranga too. One ideology, one thinking cannot be forcefully imposed on everyone. I don’t like the name- Giriraj Singh. Change the name.”

Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee (BPCC) spokesman Harkhu Jha said, “Singh’s demand demonstrated his distorted mentality aimed at polarising voters on the basis of religion in his constituency. He wanted to link religion with politics. The ECI must take note of it and act against him forthwith.”

Bihar chief electoral officer, H R Srinivas, said he had not received any petition from Singh either in individual capacity or as the BJP candidate. “We will see if any such demand is formally made to the ECI,” said Srinivas.

Later a complaint was lodged with the EC wherein the complainant stated that Singh’s remarks hurt the sentiments of a section of a minority group.

A case has been registered against Singh on Thursday at Begusarai police station for violating the model code of conduct by making controversial remarks against the Muslim community.

The FIR was lodged under sections 125 of the Representation of People Act and 153 A, 295A, 171C, 188, 298, 505 of the Indian Penal Code.

Known for its hardline Hindutva views, the BJP and its members have passed communal and questionable remarks in the past as well. Addressing a rally in Nagpur on April 9, the BJP national president Amit Shah had said, “..And this Rahul baba, for his alliance, is contesting from such a seat where when a procession is taken out, it is difficult to make out whether it is India or Pakistan”, referring to Gandhi’s Wayanad rally in which the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) participated with their green flags.

Giriraj is infamous for his radical views. During the 2014 general elections, he had said that those who do not vote for Modi should go to Pakistan. At another occasion, he asked whether the Congress would have given the leadership to Sonia Gandhi had she not been ‘white-skinned’. In 2018, at a function in Mathura, he had accused the Muslim community for the population explosion that was thwarting India’s development.

Such statements by senior leaders only reinstate the right wing party’s Hindutva ideology and polarisation tactics.

Singh is contesting from Begusarai against RJD’s Tanveer Hassan and CPI’s Kanhaiya Kumar, besides others.

Related Articles:

The post “Ban Green Flags, They Spread Hate Not Love”: Begusarai BJP candidate Giriraj Singh appeared first on SabrangIndia.

हमले के बाद पूरा बाॅलीवुड भंसाली के समर्थन में उतर आए थे। लेकिन बीजेपी मंत्री गिरिराज सिंह ने चुनौती दे डाली और कहा  कि फिल्ममेकर्स को हिंदू देवी-देवताओं को लेकर फिल्में बनाना आसान लगता है। अगर उनमें हिम्मत है तो पैगंबर मोहम्मद पर फिल्म बनाकर दिखाएं।

गिरिराज ने इशारों ही इशारों में फिल्ममेकर संजय लीला भंसाली पर करणी सेना के हमले को जायज ठहराया। उन्होंने कहा, ‘ऐतिहासिक तथ्यों से छेड़छाड़ का विरोध किया जाना सही है। फिल्म उनके द्वारा बनाई जा रही है जिनके लिए औरंगजेब और उसकी जैसी शख्सियत आइकन हैं। हिंदू देवी-देवताओं पर सभी तरह की टिप्पणियां की जाती हैं और पीके जैसी फिल्में बनती हैं। क्या किसी ने मोहम्मद साहब पर फिल्म बनाने की हिम्मत की?’

गिरिराज ने यह भी कहा कि लोग हिंदू नायकों का अपमान अब बर्दाश्त नहीं करेंगे और देश की संस्कृति को गलत ढंग से पेश करने वालों को सबक सिखाएंगे।

Courtesy: Janta Ka Reporter
 

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गिरिराज सिंह ने ये बयान  संसदीय क्षेत्र नवादा में एक कार्यक्रम में उन्होंने कहा कि देश के विकास की रफ्तार और सामाजिक स्थिरता के लिए देश में नसबंदी और जनसंख्या स्थिरता कानून की सख्त जरूरत है। उन्होंने कहा कि देश की बढ़ती जनसंख्या विकास में बाधक है।

जनसत्ता की खबर के अनुसार, अपने इस बयान के बाद आलोचना में घिरे गिरिराज सिंह ने इस बयान पर सफाई देते हुए कहा, हमें राष्ट्रहित के बारे में सोचना चाहिए। भारत की आबादी ऑस्ट्रेलिया के बराबर जुड़ रही हैं।

गिरिराज सिंह के इस बयान पर जेडीयू नेता ने भाजपा पर तीखा हमला किया है। जेडीयू नेता अली अनवर ने कहा कि नसबंदी की योजना बड़े पैमाने पर लागू होगी या नहीं इस बारे में तो बाद में पता चलेगा, लेकिन नोटबंदी की इस योजना से भाजपा की नसबंदी जरूर हो जाएगी।

गौरतलब है कि गिरिराज सिंह लगातार इस तरह के विवादित बयान देते रहें हैं अक्टूबर में उन्होंने हिंदुओं को ज्यादा बच्चे पैदा कर अपनी जनसंख्या बढ़ाने का बयान दिया था। उन्होंने कहा था, हिंदुओं को अपनी जनसंख्या के मसले को गंभीरता से लेना चाहिए, क्योंकि देश के आठ राज्यों में हिंदुओं की जनसंख्या घट रही है

Courtesy: Janta Ka Reporter

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उत्तर प्रदेश (यूपी) के सहारनपुर जिले में एक सभा को संबोधित करते हुए गिरिराज सिंह ने एक बार फिर विवादित बयान दे दिया है गिरिराज ने कहा, “देश की जनता राम मंदिर मांग रही है लेकिन राम मंदिर कैसे बनेगा जब देश में राम भक्त ही नहीं रहेंगे। हिंदू समाज को अपनी आबादी बढ़ाने की जरूरत है। देश के आठ राज्यों में हिंदुओं की जनसंख्या लगातार घट रही है।” 

केंद्रीय मंत्री आगे कहते हैं कि “बंटवारे के समय पाकिस्तान में 22 प्रतिशत हिंदू थे लेकिन आज वो एक प्रतिशत रह गए हैं। जबकि उस समय भारत में 90 प्रतिशत हिंदू थे और 10 प्रतिशत मुस्लिम थे और अब मुसलमान 24 प्रतिशत हो गए हैं और हिंदू घटकर 76 प्रतिशत रह गए हैं।”

वैसे हम आपको बता दे कि साल 2011 की जनगणना का अनुसार भारत की जनसंख्या 121 करोड़ से अधिक है। भारत की कुल आबादी में 79.80% हिंदू और 14.23% हैं।

गिरिराज सिंह सूक्ष्म, लघु एवं मध्यम उद्योग मंत्रालय के केंद्रीय राज्य मंत्री हैं। इतने जिम्मेदार पद पर रहते हुए इस प्रकार का गैरजिम्मेदाराना बयान देते हुए मंत्री जी ज़रा भी संकोच नहीं करते। मंत्री जी को इस काम में इतनी महारत हासिल है कि ये हर तरह के विवादित बयान दे लेते हैं चाहे वो धर्म को लेकर हो, शिक्षा व्यवस्था को लेकर हो, स्वास्थ्य सेवा के क्षेत्र पर हो या जनसंख्या आदि को लेकर हो।

केंद्रीय मंत्री गिरिराज सिंह अपनी इस कला का इस्तमाल महिलाओं के उपर अभद्र टिप्पणी करने में भी करते हैं।
 
मंत्री जी ने कांग्रेस अध्यक्ष सोनिया गांधी पर आपत्तिजनक टिप्पणी करते हुए कहा था सोनिया गांधी अपने गोरे रंग की वजह से कांग्रेस अध्यक्ष बनी हैं। गिरिराज सिंह का कहना था ‘अगर राजीव गांधी ने किसी नाइजीरियाई महिला से शादी की होती, जो गोरी चमड़ी वाली नहीं होती, तो क्या कांग्रेस पार्टी उनके नेतृत्व में काम करती?

इस मामले में सफाई देते हुए केंद्रीय मंत्री गिरिराज सिंह ने कहा था कि ये बयान अनौपचारिक तौर पर दी गई थी।

गिरिराज सिंह मोदी विरोधियों को पाकिस्तान जाने की भी नसिहत दे चुके हैं। 

साल 2014 में लोकसभा चुनाव प्रचार के दौरान उन्होंने कहा था कि मोदी विरोधियों को पाकिस्तान चले जाना चाहिए। इस मामले में उनके खिलाफ भड़काऊ भाषण देने का केस भी दर्ज हुआ था।

Courtesy: National Dastak
 

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Perhaps we should hold Jaitley to his words and put his own parivar to the free speech-hate speech test. But before that, he should also tell us what one should make of ministers resorting to Goebbelsian tactics, twisting truths, even lying in Parliament. First it was minister for human resources development, Smriti Irani in Parliament on Wednesday. SabrangIndia has already dealt with Irani’s bluffs adequately. Now, Jaitley is up to the same trick. Given the different focus of this article, just one example should suffice.

“In one city it is martyrdom of Yakub Memon, in JNU it is martyrdom of Afzal Guru being observed,” proclaimed Jaitley in Parliament. Really, Mr Jaitley? Were Rohith Vemula and his colleagues observing the “martyrdom of Yakub Memon” at Hyderabad Central University? And was Kanhaiya Kumar observing the “martyrdom of Afzal Guru” and is “guilty of sedition” just because a doctored video by Zee News so claims and Arnab Goswami is screaming?

But let’s return to Jaitley’s sermon in Parliament. Below are some gems from the sangh parivar pantheon. And we would love to hear from him as to whether these should be upheld as free speech or seen for what they are: hate speech, which in some instances are also incitement to violence.

Free speech or hate speech, Mr Jaitley?

• Narendra Modi, then chief minister of Gujarat, at an election rally at Becharji; September 9, 2002. The speech refers to privately-run relief camps for over 1.5 lakh Muslims who had been displaced during the 2002 anti-Muslim pogrom under his watch, repeating Hindutva’s propaganda that all Muslim men marry four wives and produce 25 children.

• Narendra Modi, then chief minister of Gujarat, giving his “puppy analogy” on being asked if he felt any remorse for the 2002 communal violence in Gujarat under his watch, in an interview to Reuters; July, 2013

• VK Singh, retired general and Union minister of state for external affairs; in response to the murder of two Dalit children in Faridabad; November, 2015

• Amit Shah, BJP president, at an election rally in Bihar, October 2015

• Amit Shah, BJP president, at an election rally in violence-torn Muzaffarnagar, UP; April 2014. The Chief Election Commissioner banned him from campaigning in UP but ban was later lifted.

• Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Union minister of state for parliamentary affairs, during a TV programme; May 2015

• Mohan Bhagwat, RSS chief, at the Viraat Hindu Sammelan in Kolkota, December 2014.

• Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti, Union minister of state, also referred to as ‘minister of hate’, at a public rally during Delhi elections; December 2014

• Sakshi Maharaj , BJP MP; September 2014

• Mohan Bhagwat, RSS chief, at the golden jubilee celebration of VHP in Mumbai, August 2014.

• Yogi Adityanath, BJP MP, at a public meeting against alleged the ‘Love Jihad’ of Muslims; August 2014.

• Giriraj Singh, senior leader and former minister in Nitish Kumar’s cabinet; April 2014; a few months later, PM Narendra Modi appointed him minister of state at the Centre

• Pravin Togadia, VHP international working president; inciting Hindus to prevent a Muslim buying a house in a Hindu majority locality in Bhavnagar, Gujarat; April 2014.

• Pravin Togadia, international working president, VHP; November 2011

• MS Golwalkar, the most revered sarsanghchalak in the history of the RSS; also known as the 'Guru of Hate'; in his book 'Bunch of Thoughts'

• MS Golwalkar, the most revered sarsanghchalak in the history of the RSS; also known as the 'Guru of Hate'; in his book, 'We, or our Nationhood Defined'

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