Md Jubair: The Indian government has faced flak after it has discontinued the scholarship of minority students from class I to VIII citing free and compulsory education given under the Right to Education Act (RTE) 2009.
A notice put up on the National Scholarship Portal stated that only class IX and X will be covered under the pre-matric scholarship programme of minority students.
The decision of the government is being seen as part of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Indian government’s anti-Muslim agenda.
Talking to media on the government’s move, prominent Muslim leader Qasim Rasool Ilyas said the government has been targeting the minority community in different ways. The decision to stop the scholarship is part of its policy.
“The government has targeted Muslims physically and economically. Now, it is targeting the community educationally. If you look at the incidents, no action is being taken against those who spread hatred and call for genocide. Now, education is at their target,” noted Ilyas.
He pointed out the double standards adopted by the BJP with regard to Muslims. On the one hand, they talked and made tall claims about the Pasmanada (weaker) sections of the community while on the other, withdrew the scholarship. The fact of the matter is that it’s backward students who benefit from such scholarships, said Ilyas.
Meanwhile, Congress slammed Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for stopping the pre-matric scholarship of minorities, Dalits and Adivasis. Addressing PM Modi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge asked the government how much it will earn by stopping the scholarship.
Senior Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala described the decision as “shocking, stunning and shameful”.
“BJP-Modi Govt delivers a “fatal blow” on the aspirations & dreams of children of SC-ST-OBC-Minorities to pursue basic education between Classes 1 to 8 by denying them Pre-Matric scholarship completely,” tweeted Surjewala.
