UP to open two universities, to affiliate madrassas to them: Minority minister Rajbhar
Lucknow, Aug 11: Seeking to make changes in the process of granting recognition to madrassas, Uttar Pradesh Minority Welfare Minister Om Prakash Rajbhar has said that two universities will be opened in the state and all madrassas will be affiliated to them.
"Our effort is to open two universities. We want to attach the Uttar Pradesh Board of Madrasa Education with the university and all madrassas should be recognised (by the university) so that there is no dispute in the future," he told PTI Videos recently.
He noted that many colleges are affiliated to the Lucknow University, Purvanchal University and Shakuntala University.
If madrassas were operated under universities, things would have been different.
At present, madrassas in the state are recognised by the Uttar Pradesh Board of Madrasa Education.
Citing a letter by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) dated June 7, then Uttar Pradesh chief secretary Durga Shankar Mishra on June 26 had issued directions to all district magistrates on children studying in madrassas.
In its letter, the NCPCR had directed that all non-Muslim students studying in government-funded madrassas be admitted to schools of the Basic Education Council to provide them with formal education.
It also said that all children studying in all such madrassas of the state, which are not recognised by the Uttar Pradesh Board of Madrasa Education, should also be given admission in Basic Education Council schools.
Uttar Pradesh has approximately 25,000 madrassas. Of these; 16,500 madrassas are government-recognised, including 560 government-aided madrassas. Around 8,500 madrassas are not recognised by the Uttar Pradesh Board of Madrasa Education.
Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind's legal advisor Maulana Kaab Rashidi said the government should talk to all stakeholders, including Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind, Nadwatul Ulama and Darul Uloom Deoband, before making changes in the system.
He said the Constitution has given the right to minorities to establish and run their educational institutions. In the system the state government is going to make, special care should be taken to ensure that the constitutional rights of minorities are protected.
Chairman of Uttar Pradesh Board of Madrasa Education Iftikhar Ahmed Javed on Sunday said the state government is going to take such a big step regarding madrassas but the board has no information about this.
"It has never been seen or heard before that any education board will be affiliated to a university," he said.
However, he said the government has the power to bring about radical changes in the system, but before issuing the order to admit children of unrecognised madrassas in council (state-run) schools, consideration should have been given to giving recognition to such madrasas from the board.
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Shivakumar’s CM aspiration natural, high command will decide: Parameshwara
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara said on Saturday that Deputy CM D K Shivakumar, as the state Congress president, naturally aspires to become chief minister. However, he added that the final decision rests with the party's high command.
Amid ongoing speculation about a leadership change within the ruling Congress, he wished Shivakumar "good luck".
"I have always wished him so. There is nothing else; we are good friends. He is the PCC (Pradesh Congress Committee) president, and naturally, he has an aspiration to become the chief minister. Nobody can object to it. But it all depends on what the high command decides,” Parameshwara said in response to a question regarding Shivakumar’s aspiration for the CM post.
Speaking to reporters, he said, “Don’t always go back to the CM issue. Please understand there is nothing that I can tell you about it. If I were part of the decision-making body or inside the decision-making body, I could definitely provide information.”
Supporters of Shivakumar have been insisting on his elevation in line with a reported power-sharing agreement with chief minister Siddaramaiah when the party won the 2023 Assembly elections. Some have even claimed that "sweet news" is expected by May 15, which is Shivakumar’s birthday.
Speculation has been circulating within the Congress and political circles about a possible leadership change and cabinet reshuffle after May 4, once the results of the Assembly elections in four states and one union territory, along with bypolls to two Assembly segments in Karnataka, are announced.
However, AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge said on Thursday that there is no CM change in Karnataka "for now" and that the leadership issue in the state will be resolved soon.
On Friday, he said no date has been fixed yet to discuss a possible leadership change, while maintaining that any decision in this regard would be taken collectively by the party high command after due consultation.
Meanwhile, Parameshwara met senior Congress leader and MLC B K Hariprasad and Minister B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan over dinner on Friday. Hariprasad had met Siddaramaiah earlier in the day.
Responding to a question about discussions at the dinner, as his name is also being mentioned for the chief minister post amid calls for a "Dalit CM", the home minister said there was no discussion about the chief minister issue.
“Hariprasad told me that he met the CM, but he did not disclose what was discussed between them. Hariprasad, Zameer Ahmed Khan, and I met over dinner, and we discussed the elections held in four states and one union territory. We analysed the national-level political situation and naturally discussed the state’s political developments,” he said.
When asked if he would travel to New Delhi to meet the party high command, Parameshwara said, “I will definitely go to Delhi. Nobody can stop me from going there. I will go when it is required.”
