Maulana Ghulam Mohammed Vastanvi, the vice-chancellor of Islamic seminary Darul Uloom Deoband, has said that development was palpable in Gujarat.
The cleric, however, said that this did not mean that Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi could be given a clean chit on the victimisation of Muslims during the Godhra riots.
Talking to reporters in Muzaffarnagar on Thursday, the maulana, who has offered to resign following the controversy over his statements on Gujarat, said, “The people of Gujarat agree on the fact that development is happening in the state and everyone whether a Hindu or a Muslim is benefiting.” The maulana reiterated that his statements on Gujarat were misreported by a section of the media that led to a controversy on the issue and protests by students in the seminary.
However, the deputy vice-chancellor of the seminary, Maulana Abdul Khaliq Madrasi, told a news agency that a decision on the resignation issue will be taken on February 23 by its managing committee.
“If his resignation is accepted, a new name for the post will be considered by the committee the same day,” he said.
Meanwhile, the cleric’s decision to quit his post has been termed as unfortunate by several clerics who expected him to make positive changes in the 200-year-old institution.
UP Samajwadi Party secretary Maviya Ali has urged the management committee of Deoband to reject Maulana Vastanvi’s resignation. “It is unfortunate that Vastanvi is not being allowed to work in an institution which could have benefited from his experience and his vision. His approach to certain issues is progressive and he is being made to pay the price for this,” he said.
Mr Vastanvi was elected vice-chancellor on January 10, has been facing protests from students at the seminary after he had said that Muslims should now forget the communal agenda of 2002 and move on where Gujarat was concerned.