Bengal govt ends allowances for imams, purohits; Cong calls it ‘political ambition’

New Delhi, May 19 (IANS) A day after the BJP-led West Bengal government decided that assistance-oriented schemes for religious leaders would be discontinued from June this year, the Congress accused the BJP of changing its stance post its electoral victory for “political ambition”.

The decision was taken during the BJP government’s second Cabinet meeting in the state. It stated that religion-based stipend schemes for ‘imams (Muslim priests)’ and ‘purohits (Hindu priests)’, will be discontinued.

Speaking to IANS, Congress MLA Aradhana Misra-Mona said: “The issue is that making statements only for political gain during elections, and then changing those statements or actions after elections, is a clear example of political ambition.”

She, however, supported Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari’s statement that he is the CM of the entire West Bengal and not of any particular section or community.

“The stipends for ‘imams’ and ‘purohits’ both have been discontinued. When the new Chief Minister took oath, he said that he is the Chief Minister of the entire state, which is a good thing,” the Congress MLA said.

Defending the decision of the Bengal Cabinet, BJP leader T.R. Srinivas called it a “very positive development” by CM Adhikari.

He accused former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of allocating more for the state’s minorities than for science and technology.

“I would like to quote one data from the interim budget of the previous government of Mamata ‘Didi’. For science and technology, she allocated only Rs 155 crore. And for Minority Affairs and Madrasa Education Department, Rs 5,700 crore. Can you believe this?” he said.

“We are now doubting what she wanted to do,” he said.

T.R. Srinivas also added: “This is a good step by the new CM since we believe in ‘India first, Nation first’.”

Reacting on the decision, District Secretary of Jamiat Ulema in Kolkata, Mohammad Ashraf Ali Qasmi said: “The previous government had allocated allowances for the religious leaders, respecting their services for their respective communities.”

Mohammad Qasmi clarified that the decision taken by the new BJP government to stop the allowance won’t affect the ‘imams’ and ‘purohits’ since they were not depended on it.

“Both religious leaders get salaries from the mosques and temples respectively,” he said.

He further said: “I support the decision of the government if it has been taken in order to not create biases amid religions.”

“It is the duty of the government to work for all the people irrespective of their religions and also work for education, healthcare etc. rather than being concerned about what is happening in temples or mosques,” he added.

–IANS

cg/rad