The partners of BJP in the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in Bihar have condemned the remarks made by its leaders over an explosion in a madrasa in the state alleging that the party was finding opportunities to engineer communal divide in the society.

An explosion destroyed a single-storeyed madrasa at Navtolia in Banka district, around 270km southeast of Patna, on Tuesday killing a maulvi.

Banka superintendent of police had said that the explosion was caused by country-made bombs instead of any sophisticated explosive device.

A couple of days later, BJP’s Bisfi MLA Haribhushan Thakur Bachaul alleged: “These madrasas teach religion and terrorism. The explosion proves that the children are taught terrorism. Nobody educated in such institutions becomes engineers or doctors. The pupils are indoctrinated against other religions.”

Road construction minister and BJP leader Nitin Navin also questioned the role of madrasas and demanded a probe to find out if illegal explosives were being housed there. Party spokesperson Arvind Kumar Singh and other leaders asked why “secular parties were quiet on the issue”.

Subsequently NDA member, former chief minister and Hindustani Awam Morcha Secular (HAMS) founder Jitan Ram Manjhi reacted sharply and reminded the BJP of national unity and integration.

“If poor Dalits march forward, they are termed Naxals, if poor Muslims study in madrasas they are called terrorists. Brother, come out of such a mentality. It is not good for national unity and integration,” Manjhi said. He also demanded a high-level inquiry into the incident.

Chief minister Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal United’s leader and minority welfare minister Jama Khan expressed anger over Bachaul’s remarks.

“I am really upset. Bachaul is like my brother. I fail to understand why he said such negative things. He should understand that mosques and madrasas foster brotherhood among people,” Khan said.