Jaipur: The Rajasthan government has sparked a controversy by announcing blood donation camps in colleges on the Muslim festival of Eid ul-Adha. While it's a declared holiday, the state government has announced that colleges have to be open for blood donation camps to mark the birth anniversary of BJP icon Deendayal Upadhyay.
The order has upset Muslim groups, who said they will go to court. The government said Muslims will be allowed to take leave if they wish.
According to Islamic tradition, Bakra Id is supposed to fall on September 25 as per the sighting of the moon.
In an order issued on September 2, the College Education Directorate has asked the Principals of all government and private colleges in the state to hold blood donation camps on September 25 and not allow any employee in their college to take leave and leave headquarters a day before.
As per the order, 100 blood donation camps would be organised on September 25 with the participation of all the government and private colleges across the state.
Objecting to this, the Forum for Democracy and Communal Amity said it is planning to move court against the order. Mohammad Iqbal, state secretary of the Forum said, "The government's order regarding the blood donation camp will deprive Muslim employees of their rights because they will not be able to celebrate the festival of Eid with family."
Claiming that the government is adamant "despite our repeated demand" not to go ahead with it, Iqbal said, "We have spoken to our members in all the districts and we will move High Court in a day or two if the government does not take its binding orders back."
He said such blood donation camps should be organised at the party level and not at the government level.
On the other hand, the Commissioner of College Education Rajendra Sharma said there will be a government holiday on Eid and it will depend on Principals as to whom to be engaged in arrangements of the blood donation camp.
Principals, at their level, can decide on allowing any employee to leave headquarters on September 24, he said. "The government holiday on Eid is unchanged but some employees in colleges will have to be deployed in arrangements of holding the camps on September 25. It is for the Principal of individual college to decide which employee will be engaged in arrangements," Sharma said.
However, Iqbal said, "We have not seen any such circular in which the college directorate claims to have authorised the Principals to take decision of granting permission to employee to leave headquarters."
Sawai Singh, state President of the Forum, said the government should withdraw the order without any further delay. "No employee should be compelled for the programme. Every citizen has a right to celebrate his festival and this order is against this," he said.
(With additional information from PTI)
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