Ahead of polls, Nitish Kumar faces minority anger at madrasa event

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar faced severe protest from Madrasa teachers at the centenary celebration of Bihar State Madrasa Education Board in Patna on Thursday as the educators accused the government of long-standing neglect and unfulfilled promises.

This centenary celebration was not just an academic event. It was considered highly significant from a political perspective. With large participation from the Muslim community, this event was expected to serve as a major outreach programme for the JD(U) before the Assembly elections.

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It was also seen as an attempt by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to reaffirm his connection with the minority community after the JD(U)’s support for the Waqf Amendment Bill.

The madrasa teachers said that they were expecting Nitish Kumar to make major announcements regarding madrasas and its teachers as he has been doing with several other communities.

Contrary to their expectations, in his address, the chief minister just recounted his past contributions.

He stated that it was only after his government came to power that concrete work for the Muslim community began in the state. He said that during previous governments, the Muslim community was neglected.

He also claimed that since the formation of the NDA government in 2005, initiatives such as fencing of graveyards, funeral facilities, and financial assistance for women were started.

The madrasa teachers lost patience as Nitish Kumar failed to make announcements regarding their pending salaries and other issues they have been raising from time to time.

While some of them chose to submit written applications to the chief minister, others resort to sloganeering to express their anger.

They alleged that the condition of the Bihar Madrasa Board is very poor, because the government is not providing financial assistance on time. They have been facing financial crises, and many of them are forced to take loans just to survive.

The teachers said that in 2011, Nitish Kumar had promised that teachers of 2,459 plus-one madrasas would receive salaries. Only 1,659 of those madrasas survive today. They also claimed that no new recruitment has been made for the past 15 years.