Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday said 300 more madrassas would be closed in the state even as he clarified that there would be no crackdown on polygamy as of now. Addressing reporters, Sarma said after he became the CM, 600 madrassas were shut down in Assam.
"We have already shut down 600 madrassas. There was a meeting between the BJP and the people who runs madrassas, and there was a consensus that 300 more madrassas will be closed down. So, this is not what I am going to do. This is the result of the discussion between the Assam police and Qaumi organisations," Sarma said.
Sarma, who has promsied a ban on polygamy by 2024, said the practice was legal as of now and there would be no crackdown.
"There will be no crackdown because polygamy is legal as of now. So, till we amend the law, polygamy is legal and we cannot go on a crackdown. But, if any Hindu is found to be practicing polygamy, then we can go for a crackdown," the CM said.
The Assam government has formed a committee to carry out a detailed study on implementing the ban on polygamy.
"The idea behind banning polygamy is that the dignity of a Muslim mother and daughter is saved and they should not be treated as a second grade citizen. If you read the Quran, then you will know that Prophet Muhammad said that in Islam, monogamy is a rule, polygamy is an exception. I am even ready to sit in a debate with an Islamic scholar on this topic," Sarma said.
Sarma also said another crackdown on child marriage offenders would be initiated by August or September this year.
The BJP leader also announced that Union Home Minister Amit Shah would visit the state on May 24 and attend a meeting the next day. Sarma said Shah has preponed his visit to the state on his request as he would be attending the Niti Aayog meeting on May 27.
Speaking on the BJP's drubbing in the recent Karnataka Assembly election, Sarma used a football analogy to target the Opposition.
"In a football match, if we score 10 goals, the opponent may score one goal but ultimately, we win 10-1. I am wondering, we won the Gujarat election, then nobody said anything. We lost in Karnataka and an uproar has been created," Sarma said.
"If you the history of Karnataka, in the Assembly elections if we get 36 per cent vote, then in the Parliamentary election we will get 52 per cent vote. So, people should celebrate after looking at the history. They should not celebrate midway, let the game be over. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is ahead all over India and next time when we win, don’t blame the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM)," the Assam CM asserted.