While Siddaramaiah said his government would withdraw the order banning hijab in schools, BJP MLA Yashpal Suvarna said it would not be tolerated.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. (Siddaramaiah.Official/Facebook)
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, on Friday, December 22, said the restrictions on wearing hijab (head scarf) in educational institutions in the state would be lifted from Saturday.
He also observed that the choice of dress and food was personal for a citizen.
Meanwhile, the poster boy of the hijab ban in Karnataka — Udupi constituency MLA Yashpal Suvarna — told South First that the state unit of the BJP would not tolerate it.
“The chief minister has made a statement about it (withdrawal of hijab ban), but we have not seen the government order,” he told South First.
“The hijab ban was brought in by our previous BJP government in Karnataka to do away with the discrimination of students at schools and colleges on the basis of caste and religion,” he claimed.
“If the Congress government is poking its nose into the hijab issue again, we will not tolerate it. We will call for a meeting, discuss the high court and Supreme Court rulings, decide the next course of action, and certainly challenge and protest against it,” he told South First.
Meanwhile, Siddaramaiah made the announcement while speaking at the inauguration ceremony of three police stations in Nanjangud in the Mysuru district on Friday. He said that no one should indulge in vote-bank politics.
Lashing out at the BJP, the chief minister said, “They say ‘Sabka Sath, Sabka Vikas‘ (Cooperation of all, Development of all), but are sidelining those who wear skullcaps, don the burqa, and sport beards. Is this what they mean?”
When an individual from the crowd asked about the restrictions on wearing hijab, Siddaramaiah said, “No (restrictions). You can wear hijab. I have instructed (the officials) that there will be no restriction from tomorrow (23 December).”
He added: “You can wear and eat whatever you want. It’s up to you. Your choices are yours and my choices are mine. It’s that simple.”
Siddaramaiah continued as the crowd cheered: “I wear dhoti and kurta, and you wear pants and shirt. It’s your choice. What’s wrong with this?”
Chief minister Siddaramaiah’s X handle also posted” “PM @narendramodi’s sab ka saath-sab ka vikas is bogus. @BJP4India is doing the work of dividing people and dividing society on the basis of clothes, dress, caste. I have told to withdraw the hijab ban. #Hijab”
ಪ್ರಧಾನಿ @narendramodi ಅವರ ಸಬ್ ಕಾ ಸಾಥ್-ಸಬ್ ಕಾ ವಿಕಾಸ್ ಎನ್ನುವುದು ಬೋಗಸ್. ಬಟ್ಟೆ, ಉಡುಪು, ಜಾತಿ, ಆಧಾರದ ಮೇಲೆ ಜನರನ್ನು ವಿಭಜಿಸುವ, ಸಮಾಜವನ್ನು ಒಡೆಯುವ ಕೆಲಸವನ್ನು @BJP4India ಮಾಡುತ್ತಿದೆ. ಹಿಜಾಬ್ ನಿಷೇಧವನ್ನು ವಾಪಾಸ್ ಪಡೆಯಲು ತಿಳಿಸಿದ್ದೇನೆ.#Hijab pic.twitter.com/EIHU5V7zas
— Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) December 22, 2023
Affirming that the Congress party does not indulge in politics for votes, the chief minister said, “The Congress government came to power to protect the rights of the poor, backward classes, Dalits, and minorities. There is no question of compromising on this.”
Referring to the five guarantees of the Congress government in Karnataka, he said the benefits were available to people irrespective of their caste, religion, and even political ideology.
“Even BJP supporters are availing the benefits and travelling in buses free of cost. We never discriminate,” he said.
The BJP has strongly reacted to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s decision to lift the ban on wearing hijab in classrooms, saying that it raises concerns about the “secular nature” of educational spaces.
BJP state president BY Vijayendra, in a post on X, said that the government is dividing young minds along religious lines.
“CM Siddaramaiah’s decision to withdraw the hijab ban in educational institutions raises concerns about the secular nature of our educational spaces,” the Shikaripura MLA said.
CM Siddaramaiah's decision to withdraw the hijab ban in educational institutions raises concerns about the secular nature of our educational spaces.
By allowing religious attire in educational institutions @siddaramaiah govt is promoting dividing young minds along religious…
— Vijayendra Yediyurappa (Modi Ka Parivar) (@BYVijayendra) December 22, 2023
“By allowing religious attire in educational institutions Siddaramaiah government is promoting dividing young minds along religious lines, potentially hindering the inclusive learning environment,” he said.
The BJP state chief said that it was crucial to prioritise education over divisive practices and foster an environment where students can focus on academics without the influence of religious practices.
The hijab was banned in educational institutions in the state during the BJP regime in 2022.
It all started in December 2021, when students wearing hijab were not allowed inside class at a government PU college in Udupi.
As a meeting between parents and the college principal failed to resolve the issue, six students began a protest on the college campus.
On 5 February, 2022, even as the matter was pending before a single-judge bench of the Karnataka High Court, the state’s Education Department issued a circular regarding the dress code.
The circular read: “In exercise of the powers conferred under Section 133(2) of the Karnataka Education Act,1983, we direct students at all government schools to wear the uniform fixed by the state.”
It added: “Students at private schools may wear uniforms prescribed by the management committees of the school. In colleges that fall under the Karnataka Board of Pre-University Education, the dress code prescribed by the College Development Committee, or the administrative committee must be followed.”
It also said: “If the administration does not fix a dress code, clothes that do not threaten equality, unity, and public order must be worn.”
Later in the month, violence erupted in Shivamogga city during the pro- and anti-hijab protests, and the police had to clamp Section 144 in the city.
In March, a full bench of the Karnataka High Court pronounced the verdict, saying it was of the considered opinion that wearing of hijab by Muslim women did not form a part of essential religious practices in the Islamic faith.
The bench said it was also of the considered opinion that the government had the power to issue the impugned order, dated 5 February, 2022, and that no case was made out for its invalidation.
On 16 March, one of the students approached the Supreme Court and challenged the Karnataka High Court Order.
On 13 October, a two-judge bench of the Supreme Court delivered a split verdict on petitions challenging the Karnataka High Court order.
The Supreme Court said that it would set up a three-judge bench to hear the Karnataka hijab ban case.
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