Mamata, Naidu lead minority appeasement, more money for Madrasas and churches than education

The taxpayers’ hard-earned money is being used to fund Madrasas in West Bengal and for construction of churches in Andhra Pradesh. According to a My Nation report, the West Bengal government led by Mamata Banerjee has allocated more money to minority affairs and development of Madrasas than the higher education in the state for the 2019-20 Budget.

Mamata Banerjee has allocated Rs 4016 crores for Madrasas, while money allocated for higher education in the state is Rs 3,964 crore. This gives rise to the question: Is Bengal following the path of Pakistan?

According to Daily Hunt report, in 2006, 12 crores were granted for Madrasa development in the state, this has increased by 335 times in 13 yrs. At the same time, the budget for higher education registered an increase of just 5 times. In 2006, the money allocated for higher education set-up of the state was Rs 760 crores, which is now Rs 3,964 crore in 2019-20. These figures clearly suggest that the Mamata government gives more priority to Muslim religious institutions than higher education. It clearly shows the intention of the state. At a time when the state is deprived of- industrial development, basic necessities, good education- the state government is indulged in blatant minority appeasement.

The My Nation has quoted West Bengal BJP general secretary Ritesh Tiwari saying, “This is outright Muslim appeasement. Since the game of Muslim appeasement began in the middle of the rivalry between the Left government of Buddhadeb Bhattacharya and Mamata Banerjee when she was in opposition, it has only increased under the TMC government. As if Malda was not enough or her association with Muslim clerics with publicly proclaimed extremist leanings, this is a new low. She is hellbent on destroying the state, or what is left of it.”

Both Mamata and Naidu are competing with each other on who can go to the most absurd length in minority appeasement.

In Andhra Pradesh, Naidu is spending hundreds and thousands of crores for renovation and construction of churches, and mosques all over the state.

Last year on the occasion of Christmas, Naidu increased the financial aid that is given to the Christian pilgrims to travel to Jerusalem from Rs 40,000 to Rs 75,000 per person. He had also announced to set up a Rs 100 crore fund for land acquisition and construction of burial grounds for Christians in Andhra Pradesh. His party is also vehemently demanding to grant SC status to Dalit Christians. 

Chandrababu Naidu didn’t stop here. According to a New Indian Express report, he further announced Rs 1.5 crore grants for completing the construction of St Paul’s Basilica Church. This under construction Church would become one of the biggest churches in the country after its completion. He also said that a sum of Rs 2 crores has already been allocated for the construction of Christian community halls, Rs 10 crore was granted to Christian Bhavan while another Rs 6 crore would be sanctioned for the Christian Bhavan. Chandrababu Naidu also said that his government has provided Rs 110 crore for Christian Corporation and is also providing Rs 50,000 for the marriage of poor Christian girls.

In September last year, Chandrababu Naidu had announced the construction of a grand mosque of international standards to be built in the capital Amravati. He said, “The mosque will be built on an area of 10 acres under the supervision of the State Waqf Board.” Chandrababu Naidu further added, “There should be a mosque in the architectural style of Mecca Masjid (of Hyderabad) and it should become a major tourist attraction.”

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He had also boasted that his party constructed Haj houses in Hyderabad, Vijayawada & Kadapa and has constructed Mosques across the state and also worked towards promoting the Urdu language.

These cheap nauseating attempts of minority appeasement by allocating more funds for Madrasas and churches are an indicator that the aforementioned leaders have not done anything good for the states.  They are clearly seeing the writing on the wall. Their political future is bound to get buried in the ‘Monuments of secularism’ constructed promoted and constructed by them.