Incidentally, Rahmani’s turn to speak came after Chief Minister Nitish Kumar left the venue. However, he repeatedly took the name of the deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi to highlight how little the state government is doing for the welfare of minorities.

“If an application from Katihar Medical College, the only Muslim-run institute of its kind in the state, could not move from Patna to Delhi in the last two years notwithstanding repeated reminders what more can you expected from this state government,” he started off.

Than he dished out some of the hard facts stating that the Centre is not responsible for their delay. “I too hold the Centre responsible in many cases, but not in the following.” Instead it sanctioned funds for their fufilment. For example, in place of 30,000 Indira Awas Yojana for Muslims, for which fund has come, only 2,100 have been built till December 31 last year.

Only one-third of the total 1,416 Anganwadi Kendras have been set up for Muslims. Out of 2,733 only 190 hand-pumps meant for the Muslims localities/villages have been sunk. Not a single class room has been added in this period.

Out of 130 laboratories only five have been built and out of 134 school buildings only one has been constructed till last year-end. He went on to cite examples. In some cases the achievement was even nil.
Turning to the construction of boundary walls around the graveyards he said it is the duty of the government, yet many of them have been left untouched. He said had the chief minister been here he would have reminded about the graveyard just a couple of kilometres from his house. The boundary wall has not been constructed notwithstanding his personal reminder to Nitish Kumarji a long back.

He took the state government to task for not appointing 12,862 Urdu school teachers even though the process started way back in 2003. This is happening notwithstanding the Supreme Court intervention on the issue.

Rahmani’s argument came as a bolt from the blue as not only the deputy chief minister but a couple of Janata Dal (United) leaders were among those present on the dais. So when the party Rajya Sabha MP, Ali Anwar, during his turn did try to say something in defence of the state government he was booed and jeered by the audience.

Earlier, speaking on the occasion chief minister Nitish Kumar highlighted some of the works done for the welfare of minorities in the last six years. He once again held the Centre responsible for the failure in implementing welfare schemes meant for the minorities.

He tried to put the blame on the Aligarh Muslim University and the Centre for politicizing the issue. “When my government acquired and gave 246 acres of land to the AMU Vice Chancellor nobody objected to it. However, it was much later that they were reminded that the land is in three plots. What is the problem. My government is ready to link them with roads,” he added.

He said that when the Janata Dal (United)-BJP government came to power six years ago a fear psychosis was created among minorities but his government has managed to overcome that problem.

A large number of people from all over the country converged to the venue on the occasion. This included Union minister of state for Tourism, Sultan Ahmed, (originally from West Bengal), Ameer-e-Shariah Maulana Nizamuddin, deputy chief minister of Bihar Sushil Kumar Modi, Editor-in-Chief of Chauthi Duniya, Santosh Bhartiya, LJP leader Ram Vilas Paswan, Samajwadi Party leader Rasheed Masood, religious scholar Kalbe Hasan from New Delhi, Maulana Mahmood Madani of Jamiat-ul-Ulema, Congress leader, Dr Shakeel Ahmed, Leader of Oppositon in Bihar Assembly, Abdul Bari Siddiqui, RJD leader Shakeel Ahmed Khan, Munawwar Jahan of Patna University etc.

ETV Head of Hindi-Urdu Channel, Jagdish Chandra, welcomed the guests.

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