In a Statewide crackdown on Madrasas (Islamic schools), the Uttarakhand government has sealed over 136 such institutions so far. This has once again put a spotlight on this BJP-ruled State for its continuous actions on issues related to the minority community — from laws like the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) to removal of Mazars. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami speaks to Ishita Mishra and explains the need for such actions and future plans of his government, which has completed three years in March.
Muslim community feels that the government has bad intentions against minority, which is also the reason behind the drive against their religious educational institutions. What do you have to say about this?
The children are the future of the country and every child must get good education. In Uttarakhand, when we conducted an inquiry on Madrasas, we found Rohingyas …. we got to know about several suspicious persons who were living here by hiding their identity, getting involved with such institutions…. we also found many people associated with Madrasas who had a history of illegal and criminal activities. After the inquiry, we are sealing the institutions which had no registrations, or had issues with construction and affiliations etc.
Uttarakhand is a very peaceful and religious State where people live in harmony. So, it is our duty to maintain this harmony and peace as well as safeguard the culture and traditions. In the past, a perception was developed as if anyone can come here and start staying with forged identity.
You have recently said that the government is probing the funding behind Madrasas. What is the reason for it?
We got many sensitive details through our intelligence system. We are trying to verify them as well. Some information must be kept hidden for the sake of security. So I cannot share much on this. But I can tell you that we are also planning to have strict provisions for opening religious educational institutions in the State as we want to ensure that whatever institution exists in the State must have a legit purpose.
Nothing has been done unlawfully and I strongly feel that everyone must learn to live with and under the law. There is nothing like that we are targeting any community. We never do vote bank politics. All we want is to make a clean system and run accordingly
Uttarakhand’s Uniform Civil Code has been mired in controversies since the beginning; now, many of its provisions, including the registration of live-in relationships, have been challenged in court. After all this, is the government considering making any amendments to the law?
There is always room for improvement in everything, but whatever we have done in UCC was foolproof and well-planned. We have got suggestions from over 2.36 lakh people on UCC. We have spoken to people from law background to religion, from educational background to experts in every field. If you talk about live-in relationships, I must make it clear that this practice is not part of the Indian culture. Still, because we believe in democratic values, we will ensure that everybody’s rights are safeguarded. The only motive to get the live-in relationship registered is to ensure the safety of the couple and security of the child born out of such relationships. This is important for parents of the couples, too, as they must know what their child is getting into.
So what next after UCC and crackdown on Mazars, Madrasa?
“Nahi Nahi….abi poora kaha hua hai. Abho to chalega ye….Karwahi jari rahegi. Ye devbhoomi hai” (No No …its not done yet… the actions will continue for now…its the land of gods.
Premchand Aggarwal had to resign from ministership after his statement against Pahadis (inhabitants of the Himalayan foothills and nearby mountains). But this tussle between people of plains and hills is still going on. Do you think too much damage has been done?
We have strongly asked everyone to stop such things like Pahadi versus plains. I have always asked people to speak carefully. Still, some people don’t and that brings trouble. People have lost lives to get the statehood for Uttarakhand. It’s devbhoomi (land of gods). Its veerbhoomi (land of soldiers). Such controversies malign the image of the State and hurt the sentiments of people who fought for it. Our entire State is one and we are all equal.
However, I would say that we are such a party where people resign from post if they feel that sentiments of people are hurt. Other parties also speak ill, but there is no action against those people. So its always easy to teach the lesson of morality to others but following is difficult.
Char Dham Yatra is about to begin next month. What are the government’s initiatives for the smooth management of pilgrims this year?
This year, we have made registration for Char Dham Yatra 2025 a mandatory exercise. Apart from this, there will be no VIP darshan facility in the first month; so that all the devotees get equal opportunity. Special arrangements have been made to enhance security and facilities during the journey. We are also mulling to restrict mobiles around temples, which will help pilgrims to connect with the Almighty and will also check the fake videos which hamper the faith and management.
The season of forest fires has stared. Any special measures been taken to check forest fires?
Rains, forest fires, avalanches, flash floods, landslides — all of these are perennial problems that we face in Uttarakhand. We cannot stop natural disasters, but the government is trying to put in place technology and the deployment of modern equipment to get timely alerts so that we can save as much as we can. Our aim is to protect forest wealth and maintain environmental balance.
Published – March 30, 2025 08:02 pm IST