Assam CM Himanta Steps Up 'Flood Jihad' Attack Against USTM With 'Mecca' Barb, University Responds
Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma has stepped up his "flood jihad" attack on the USTM in Meghalaya, claiming that its architecture shows it is undermining the educational system.
Continuing his attack against the University of Science and Technology Meghalaya (USTM), Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma has now alleged that the institution's architecture implies that it was designed for "jihad". Himanta earlier, blaming USTM for the waterlogging in Guwahati, accused the university of waging a "flood jihad" against Assam. USTM is owned by Mahbubul Hoque, a Bengali Muslim who earned an MCA degree from Aligarh Muslim University (AMU). He is also the chancellor of USTM.
CM Himanta Biswa Sarma previously accused the university of contributing to flash floods in the region due to construction activities, which involved deforestation and razing hills. Now, he has alleged that the university is undermining the educational system and criticizing the design of its entrance gate, which features three domes.
Last week, Sarma attributed recent flooding in the city to the construction at USTM's campus in the Ri-Bhoi district of Meghalaya. On Monday, Sarma stepped up his critique, specifically targeting the university’s main gate which features three domes. He was quoted as saying by The Indian Express as saying, “It’s embarrassing to go there, you have to go under ‘Mecca’. What we are saying is that there should be a namghar (community prayer hall, part of Assam’s neo-Vaishnavite tradition) also there. ‘Mecca-Medina’, church. Make all three… They have kept a ‘Mecca’ there. Let them make a namghar [a place for Assamese to worship], make a church. We will walk under all three, why will we walk under just one.”
When questioned about his use of the term ‘jihad’, CM Himanta responded, “What they are doing is akin to ‘jihador baap’ [slang for 'father of jihad'. I’m merely calling it jihad. It is harming our educational system. Any attack on our civilisation and culture is considered jihad,” reported The Indian Express.
USTM Rubbishes Himanta's 'Flood Jihad' Claim
Refuting Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma's claims of 'flood jihad' against Assam, Mahbabubul Hoque said that this claim has come up suddenly, blaming the varsity for the floods. "We are located around 6 km from Guwahati city. We have around 100 acres of land. We have been working since 2011 and 2009 for the engineering college," he said in an interview with local news outlet The Shillong Times. "Suddenly this blame came up that we are responsible for that [floods in Guwahati]. Lots of other institutions are nearby, there is development work going on here, and earth-cutting is also going on... But anybody coming to our campus appreciates our green coverage," he said in the video interview.
He said that blaming only USTM for the Guwahati floods is not right. He said USTM is ready to work with Assam agencies to find remedial measures to the flood problem in Guwahati.
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