Akhilesh Yadav opposes UP's Madrassa survey with jibe on Yogi's $1 trillion economy target

The politics over the survey of unregistered madrassas in Uttar Pradesh continued as SP chief Akhilesh Yadav hit out at the Yogi Adityanath-led government. Speaking to the media on Wednesday, Yadav contended that this was an attempt by BJP to divide people on communal lines. Taking a swipe at the ruling dispensation, he quipped that UP can't become a $1 trillion economy by conducting a survey of madrassas. This was a reference to the target set by the UP government for which Deloitte India was appointed as a consultant recently. 

Former UP CM Akhilesh Yadav remarked, "We are against the survey. The survey shouldn't take place. This government only wants to indulge in Hindu-Muslim politics. The people who talk about a $1 trillion economy should answer whether UP will become a $1 trillion economy by conducting a survey of madrassas." 

What is the UP madrassa survey? 

The Yogi Adityanath-led government's decision to conduct a survey of unrecognized madrassas is in accordance with the requirement of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights. Teams consisting of the Sub Divisional Magistrate, Basic Education Officer and Minority Welfare Officer started this process on September 13. They will submit their reports to the District Magistrate who in turn shall forward them to the UP government by October 25. The state government will take requisite action after analyzing the reports. 

Explaining the contours of the survey in an exclusive conversation with Republic TV on September 1, UP's Minister of State for Minority Affairs Danish Azad Ansari said, "There are 16,513 madrassas affiliated to the Madrassa board in Uttar Pradesh. Apart from this, madrassas that are not affiliated to the Madrassa board are also functioning in different districts. The government's intention is that we should have information about the ground reality, i.e how many students are there, how many teachers are there, the situation of infrastructure, the course and curriculum and the manner in which salaries are paid."

Just like SP, AIMIM also vociferously opposed this survey. After calling it a 'mini-NRC', AIMIM supremo Asaduddin Owaisi told Republic TV, "These madrassas don't take any grant from the government. This is a clear violation of Article 30. How can you stop a madrassa from running? Why the same is not done for vidya mandir, Shishu mandir, or even private schools and UP government schools? This is a targeted survey". He also alleged that this was an attempt to harass Muslims.