Move is being seen as an outcome of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s infamous Shamshan-Qabristan remarks
Ghazanfar Abbas, IndiaTomorrow.net,
Lucknow / New Delhi, July 13: Muslims in Uttar Pradesh are criticizing the Yogi Adityanath government for scrapping the fund for fencing of graveyards. In its first budget for 2017-18, the Yogi govt. of Uttar Pradesh has not only scrapped allocation for graveyards but also downsized overall minority welfare budget.
In the Samajwadi Party government of Akhilesh Yadav, a separate budget of Rs. 200 crore was allocated for boundary walls of graveyards. The amount was increased to the tune of Rs. 400 crore in 2016-17 budget. However, the Yogi government has completely abolished that allocation.
Speaking to IndiaTomorrow.net, Mohammad Naim, state president of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind said the govt. has betrayed Muslims by this move.
“To stop the budget for boundary walls of the graveyards is wrong. Govt. has betrayed Muslims. It is really unfortunate that the budget for minority welfare has also been reduced. Rather to increase it the govt. has reduced it. It is not proper. This shows the face of RSS which has been against minorities,” Naim said.
Maulana Khalid Rasheed Firangi Mahali, one of eminent clerics in Lucknow, also criticized the Yogi government for slashing minority welfare budget.
“All successive governments, irrespective of their ideologies, have increased the budget for minorities in the state. If the government is really serious for the economic and educational development of the minorities the budget should have been increased. Though it is a positive sign that the government has allocated a good fund for the scholarships and modernization of Madrasas but it has discontinued many previous welfare schemes. The government needs to rethink over it. The total fund allocation should be increased. If it is possible, it can be increased in a supplementary budget by considering the population of minorities,” Maulana Firangi Mahali told IndiaTomorrow.net over phone.
However, on graveyard fencing fund, he said it is the responsibility of the community to protect graveyards.
“Whether it is mosque or graveyard it is a matter of faith, we will not make any demand. Community itself should come forward for the protection of graveyards,” he added.
Besides scrapping the graveyard fencing fund, the overall budget for the minority welfare has been drastically reduced from Rs. 2029 crore in the previous budget to Rs. 1,695 crore in the current budget presented on 11th July in the state assembly. It was the first budget of the Yogi government which came to power in March this year.
Expressing his resentment Yasoob Abbas, General Secretary of All India Shia Personal Law Board (AISPLB) said, “Government must focus on the graveyards as the population in urban areas is increasing but the numbers of graveyards are not increasing. So, there is a problem where to bury the dead bodies. Many graveyards have been disappeared as land mafias have encroached upon the lands of graveyards and built up buildings there.”
“I will soon meet central Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi in this regard. The minority welfare budget should also not be reduced,” he added.
In the mid of June Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had also ordered to dissolve both Shia and Sunni Waqf boards over corruption charges. But the Allahabad High Court on 23rd June quashed the order on the plea of Shia Waqf Board members. Most of the graveyards in the state are managed by Waqf boards.
The scrapping of graveyard fund is being seen as the effect of the controversial speech delivered by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the assembly election campaign in Uttar Pradesh.
In February this year, during a rally in Fatehpur, PM Modi had alleged previous Samajwadi Party govt led by CM Akhilesh Yadav to discriminate with people on religious grounds. He had said that if a Qabristan (graveyard) was built in a village, a shamshan (cremation ground) should also be constructed.
