NEW DELHI, Oct 15 - A row erupted between the Congress and the BJP on Thursday over the Assam government�s decision to shut down madrassas.
Congress leader Udit Raj on Thursday asked why should the government spend crores in organising Kumbh Mela, and demanded that all government funding on religious functions should be banned.
Drawing comparison from the Assam government�s decision to close State-run Islamic madrassas, the Congress said the Kumbh Mela preaches Hinduism and the Union government must stop allocating Rs 4,200 crore to organise such a religious event. The Congress also accused the Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh of preaching Hinduism.
Udit Raj�s tweet sparked outrage, with the BJP lashing out at the Congress and asking for apologies from Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi, and calling the tweet an �insult to the Hindu Aastha�. Udit Raj deleted the tweet after it sparked controversy, but later put it back up, stating that his views are personal and his alliance with a party should not be dragged into it.
BJP advisor Gaurav Bhatia hit back at the Congress, and said that the Assam government is correcting the appeasement politics which has been running in the State for decades. Backing the BJP-led Assam government�s decision, he asked why should taxpayers� money be used in madrassas where religious teaching is imparted.
State Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had recently announced the government�s decision to shut down all government-run madrassas in the State, saying it cannot allow religious education with public money.
Sarma had declared that the notification will be issued in November.
Islamic clerics in Assam and elsewhere in the country have opposed the government�s move and claimed that the government-run madrassas do not really teach religious texts and are in fact schools for education.
