Hijab row: Political blame game continues as High Court hears the case

Bengaluru: As the Hijab controversy is being heard in the Karnataka High Court on Wednesday, the political brass in the state continued to voice differing opinions on the matter. The blame game continued between leaders of the party in power and the opposition.

Karnataka Minister for Power, Kannada and Culture V. Sunil Kumar attacked the Congress, saying ‘if it comes to power, the leaders of Congress will make the wearing of hijab compulsory for Hindus. The Congress should come out of communal mindset’.

“Congress party has always been sided with divisive forces from 1947. During partition also Congress was with forces who wanted to divide the country. In the present situation also the party is supporting the divisive agenda,” he said.

Sunil Kumar turned his guns on Opposition leader Siddaramaiah said that he started celebrating Tipu Jayanti which led to the killing of Hindu leaders. “Siddaramaiah says he is against wearing of tilak, he is opposing the Anti-Conversion Bill,” he said.

Araga Jnanedra, the state Home Minister said that those arrested for the violence are outsiders and not students. Action will be initiated on the untoward incidents happening in the state. He also criticized state Congress President D.K. Shivakumar for alleging that Tricolour was removed for hoisting ‘Bhagwa Dhwaj’ in Shivamogga College.

Meanwhile, Nassir Hussain, the Congress Rajya Sabha member from Karnataka addressing mediapersons in New Delhi said that the internal politics within the BJP Karnataka unit is resulting in the hijab crisis. “A group of leaders within the BJP do not want Basavaraj Bommai to become the Chief Minister. Now, they are at play. Due to internal politics of BJP, the state is suffering,” he was quoted as saying by IANS.

Basavaraja Rayareddy, senior Congress leader and former minister demanded implementation of the President’s Rule in the state as the state government failed to control law and order situation in the state. “The government is in the clutches of RSS. Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai has zipped his mouth,” he stated.

Meanwhile, another Congress local leader Ibrahim Khan has kicked up a controversy by stating that if anyone comes against the hijab, they will be cut into pieces. “We will not tolerate it when it comes to the matter of our religion,” he said.

Reacting to BJP MLA Basavanagouda Patil Yatnal’s statement that those ‘who want to wear hijab can go to Pakistan’, he stated, “We are Indians. We were born here and will die here and the country does not belong to Yatnal,” he stated.

Meanwhile, Vachananda Seer has asked the people to maintain peace in the society and accept the ruling of the High Court on hijab row and follow it without giving room for any untoward incidents.

Hijab row started last month with a few students of Udupi Government Pre-University College wearing hijab were denied permission to attend classes. The college authorities maintained that the students who used to come without hijabs have suddenly started wearing hijabs. The students later went on protest refusing to attend classes without hijab. The issue became a controversy and spread to other districts snowballing into a major crisis in the state.

(With inputs from IANS)