The Assam government demolished several madrasas in recent times
The opposition Congress and AIUDF have criticised Assam Chief Minister Himanta Sarma Biswas over his comments that madrasas in the state which were demolished recently were Al-Qaeda's office, when the structures were razed under the Disaster Management Act.
Mr Sarma told reporters in Guwahati yesterday, "All demolished madrasas were not madrasas but Al-Qaeda offices. We demolished two-three and now the public is coming to demolish others. The Muslim community is coming to demolish, saying that they do not want a madrasa where the work of Al-Qaeda is done. That changes a madrasa's character."
Maulana Badaruddin Ajmal, who heads the AIUDF, said, "Everything has a limit. The first madrassa was demolished because the building was weak. Then the state government said another madrassa had violated the Disaster Management Act. Why did he (Mr Sarma) say that it was an Al-Qaeda office? What is the real reason of demolition?"
"No one wants Al-Qaeda in Assam. The claim that the public is demolishing madrasa is a lie. Jamiat is with the Assam government against spread of terror. We will make the madrasa after five-six months," Mr Ajmal said.
The Congress said there should not be any extrajudicial punishment in the alleged terror links to Assam's madrasas.
"I had not just written a letter, I took along four MLAs. We demanded to know whether an Al-Qaeda office was demolished or it was done under the Disaster Management Act for building bylaw violation. I have talked about the first three madrasas. If disaster norms were violated, then you should give time. Under the previous Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, there was no Al-Qaeda office. The present Chief Minister is such a weak leader that in his tenure, terror network has spread," Congress MP Abdul Khaleque said, adding, "He should resign."
The Chief Minister's statement came after residents of Pakhuria Char in Assam's Goalpara district demolished a madrasa on Tuesday after a cleric associated with it was arrested for alleged anti-national activities.