Jamat warns Left Front govt to lay off madarsas

The Jamat-e-Ulema-Hind, which has control over 300 unrecognised madarsas in the state, today refused government assistance, alleging that the Left Front move was aimed at gaining control over the madarsas. ‘‘The Marxists are playing with fire. Any move to control the madarsas will attract secvere reaction. We don’t need government help. We are happy with what we have, what we teach,’’ said Siddiqullah Choudhury, the president of the West Bengal Rabetay-e-Madaris-e-Islamia Arabia, the educational wing of the Jamaat. He said his organisation would organise a public rally protesting the government move.

The state government has recently started providing assistance to kharezi (unrecognised) madarsas as part of the Centre’s ‘‘Education for all Scheme’’. Its Madarsa Education Board has sent a questionairre to all kharezi madarsas, asking for details about the institutions and the kind of assistance they require.

Reacting to Jamat’s charges, Minister for School Education and Madarsas Kanti Biswas said: ‘‘We are keen on helping them. And I am not bothered if they call us anti-Muslim.’’ The guarded reply is mainly due to the upcoming panchayat polls due in May.