Chaos erupted on the third day of the ongoing Assembly budget session on Friday after TMC MLAs protested against their BJP counterpart Agnimitra Paul’s remark over budgetary allocation to madrasas as she claimed the minority community was fostering the growth of criminals due to their exploitation by the state government.
While speaking at the debate on the interim state budget tabled on Thursday, Paul said that funds allocated for madrasas may not help in uplifting the minorities and instead boost the growth of youth who end up becoming criminals instead of doctors, engineers and teachers.
“For years, TMC has shamelessly exploited minorities as nothing more than a vote bank, while deliberately denying their community real development and opportunities. Even the recommendations of the Sachar Committee were conveniently ignored.”
“I challenge Cabinet Minister and Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim and the Minister in charge of Mass Education Extension Siddiqullah Choudhury to place a white paper before the people of Bengal: in the last 15 years, how many doctors, engineers, IAS, IPS officers or scientists have actually emerged from madrasas and how many youths were instead pushed towards crime due to this failed, deceptive policy?”
Her remarks triggered a row within the House with senior TMC ministers Firhad Hakim and Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay condemning her comments and later submitting a letter of protest to Speaker Biman Banerjee, who removed the controversial part of her statement from the Assembly proceedings.
Opposing her remarks in the House, Hakim said, “You hate minorities. Minority does not mean criminals. Do you know how many Muslims died in the freedom struggle? Read and know the history of India’s independence. Withdraw your comment.”
Speaking to the media later, Hakim said, “Agnimitra Paul does not know manners. She has crossed the limits of civility. How dare she call a community criminal? Who is a criminal? APJ Abdul Kalam was a criminal? Poet Nazrul Islam was a criminal? Does she know how many minorities have sacrificed their lives for India’s freedom? Does she know how many Hindus and Muslims are fighting shoulder to shoulder on the border? Minorities share an equal right in this country as her.”
“The party she is aligned with is criminal because many people have lost their lives in Gujarat. Look at your own leaders. Amit Shah was in jail. Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs are all brothers in Bengal. We are not criminals. We are proud Indians,” he added.
Launching a scathing attack on Paul, state minister Siddiqullah Chowdhury told reporters, “What she has done is unconstitutional. She should apologise in the Assembly. Such people don’t know the history of India. They are not aware of the democratic system. They don’t know what secularism is.”