Storm in a tea cup!

                                                      CPI-M zealous of its hold over madrasas

                      It is not understood why chief minister, Buddhadev Bhattacharya should allow
                      himself to get so exercised over the visit of the counsellor from the American
                      Embassy in Delhi to Calcutta Madrasa, where he is supposed to have enquired
                      about the syllabus they follow. Surely it is a matter entirely between the Madrasa
                      and the diplomat. If they choose not to discuss the matter, there is nothing that
                      the Americans can do. Or is the chief minister claiming that because his
                      government spends so much money in making sure that the syllabus is confined
                      to Arabic, Islamic history and the Koran and thus ensures that the community
                      remains a neat vote bank for his party, that he sees a clear and present danger in
                      the Americans possibly wanting to help widen it and producing worthwhile citizens
                      able to command jobs and not half-baked mullahs in Musharraf’s expressive
                      phrase. One would have thought that such a development would be warmly
                      welcomed by the state government and party, which often professes concern for
                      the community’s progress. If he is not sure, he can ask but in that case he should
                      be ready to receive the retort instant that it is none of his business.
                      We have noted in a Caveat on the subject that the state government has in place
                      a law which in substance and in fact ensures total government control over
                      madrasa education, something which can be challenged as violative of Article 30
                      of the Constitution. That no one has done that so far suggests a cosy relationship,
                      which suits those who run madrasas and the government, both. The reason is
                      simple and has been aired earlier. According to official figures the government
                      spends about Rs 115 crores a year on maintaining the madrasas registered under
                      the Act and which entitles them to the largesse from Government. Whether it also
                      suits national interests is another matter altogether.
                      Buddhadev is a decent man and he truthfully and candidly confessed some time
                      ago that since the change of government in Dhaka a whole lot of madrasas have
                      sprung up along border areas funded by petro-dollars. Only a moron could defend
                      this but Alimuddin Street did so, forcing the chief minister to give up the inquiry he
                      had quite properly ordered into the funding. Here is a strange paradox. The Act
                      passed by the State government during Jyoti Basu’s time is a flagrant violation of
                      Article 30; it raises no cavil. When Buddhadev orders an inquiry into foreign
                      funding, not something covered by Article 30 or any other part of the Constitution,
                      all hell breaks loose! Because the Rs 115 crores a year invested in producing
                      unemployable young men endangers the party’s hold on its vote bank. The slip is
                      showing, Chief Minister!
                      To return to James Callagan’s visit, Buddhadev says — You are aware of the law
                      and that’s the reason why I have ordered an inquiry. An inquiry into what? There is
                      no law that prevents an educational institution from entertaining foreign visitors or
                      is the chief minister suggesting that these wretched Americans are endangering
                      the worker’s paradise! In that case, the more danger the better!