"Samajwadi party needs to be blamed, not BJP," says All India Muslim Jamaat president

Bareilly (Uttar Pradesh) [India], March 23 (ANI): On the Allahabad High Court striking down the UP Madrassa Act, All India Muslim Jamaat President Maulana Shahabuddin said that such a verdict got passed because the people who represented the case gave weak arguments.
"The High Court gave such a verdict because the people who had to represent the case could not do it satisfactorily," he said.
He elaborated that from 1933-1944, a policy was formed to promote languages like Arabic, Persian, and Sanskrit, and later on, it took the form of a board.
He further blamed the Samajwadi party, saying, "In 2004, when the Samajwadi government got formed and Azam Khan was a minister, the name of the Arabian Persian board got changed to Madrassa Education Board of Uttar Pradesh. The issue emerged as the word madrassa came in, giving it a religious colour. Making it a basis, the high court has given its decision."
"Only the former Samajwadi Party government needs to be blamed for this and not the BJP," he added.
He said that it would be difficult for madrassas to save their existence now.
Meanwhile, on Friday, the Allahabad High Court declared the Uttar Pradesh Board of Madarsa Education Act, 2004, "unconstitutional" and violative of the principle of secularism.
The Lucknow bench of Allahabad, while declaring the law ultra vires, asked the state government to accommodate current students in the formal schooling system.
A division comprising Justice Vivek Chaudhary and Justice Subhash Vidyarthi passed the verdict on a writ petition filed by a person named Anshuman Singh Rathore.
"Since there are large numbers of Madarsas and Madarsa students in the State of U.P., the State Government is directed to take steps forthwith for accommodating these Madarsa students in regular schools recognised under the Primary Education Board and schools recognised under the High School and Intermediate Education Board of the State of UP. The state government, for the said purpose, shall ensure that, as per requirement, a sufficient number of additional seats are created and, further, if required, a sufficient number of new schools are established," the bench said. (ANI)