Guwahati: The Assam unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party on December 22 courted controversy after drawing links between madrasa education in the state’s riverine char areas and what it described as extremist models in Bangladesh and Pakistan.
Speaking at a press conference at the party’s state headquarters, Atal Bihari Vajpayee Bhawan, BJP state spokesperson Ranjib Kumar Sarmah alleged that some madrasas functioning in Assam’s char and chapori regions along the Brahmaputra follow curricula comparable to Qawmi madrasas in Bangladesh and institutions allegedly connected to extremist networks in Pakistan. He claimed such educational models encourage religious radicalism and pose a threat to social cohesion.
Sarmah further asserted that what he termed a “Miya Muslim mindset” places religious identity above linguistic and cultural affiliations. He attempted to draw parallels between incidents of violence during the Assam Movement and recent developments in Bangladesh, citing international media reports to claim that groups such as Jamaat-e-Islami and Qawmi madrasas have contributed to radicalisation in the neighbouring country.
The BJP spokesperson also alleged that population growth was being used as a tool to secure political dominance, followed by attacks on people of other faiths. He argued that Bangladesh, despite sharing a common language and cultural roots, has experienced religious violence due to the influence of what he described as extremist ideologies.
BJP panelists Priyanka Tamuli and Geetartha Bora were present during the briefing.
The remarks are expected to provoke strong political reactions, with opposition parties likely to challenge the BJP’s claims and appeal for restraint and communal harmony in Assam.