BJP MP Nishikant Dubey raised in Lok Sabha on Friday the "very serious" issue of some Urdu-medium schools in Jharkhand observing weekly holiday on Fridays instead of Sundays, and demanded a probe into it by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
Raising the issue during Zero Hour, the BJP MP from Jharkhand's Godda Lok Sabha constituency termed the change in weekly holiday a move towards "Islamisation" and demanded that the Union government withhold funds released to these schools under the Centre's Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan.
"All of a sudden, at least 1,800 schools included the word Urdu in their names across Jharkhand.... Now a report of a committee set up by the Jharkhand government has come (which stated) that Sunday is not a weekly holiday in these schools," the BJP MP said. Calling it "a very serious matter", Dubey alleged that the "country is moving towards Islamisation and Jharkhand has shown the way."
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"It is my humble request to the Centre that an NIA probe be ordered and funding of the schools which have included Urdu in their names and changed the weekly holiday to Friday be withheld,” he said. He said a message should be sent out that “this country runs under one law and that such things will not be tolerated at any cost".
The Jharkhand government, replying to a question in the State Legislative Assembly earlier this week, stated a total of 407 schools had been declared as Urdu schools “at local level” while the weekly holiday had been changed “illegally” from Sundays to Fridays in 509 schools.
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"According to the report received from the districts, the state of the matter is that 407 schools in the state had been declared as Urdu schools at local level. Corrections have been made by removing the word Urdu from 350 of these schools,” State Parliamentary Affairs Minister Alamgir Alam said while replying to question of BJP MLA Anant Kumar Ojha on Tuesday.
He said that the old system of weekly holiday on Sundays has been restored in 459 schools out of 509 schools where it had "illegally" been changed to Fridays. "Direction has been issued to remove (the words) ‘Urdu school’ from the name of the general school. Directions have been issued to take action against the erring officials,” the state minister added in his reply.
The issue triggered a political controversy in the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha-governed state after a section of the local media reported the matter. Fridays are considered auspicious by Muslims who hold “Jumme Ki Namaz” with great fervour.
(With PTI inputs)
