Rahul Gandhi, BJP leaders weigh in on Karnataka hijab row
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday spoke out on the controversy over Muslim students' demand to wear the hijab (a traditional headscarf) during their college classes. In response, leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) slammed Gandhi for "communalising education." The hijab row has deepened over the past few weeks since the first related protests took place at a college in Karnataka.
Why does this story matter?
Protests over the hijab issue began weeks ago at the Government Girls PU College in Udupi when six women students were barred from classes for wearing the headscarf. The agitation has since spilled over to other schools and colleges across the state. Some Hindu students have retaliated by wearing saffron shawls on campus. The matter will soon be heard by the Karnataka High Court.
'Robbing the future of India's daughters'
On Saturday, which marked the Hindu festival of Saraswati Puja, Gandhi said in a Twitter post, "Ma Saraswati gives knowledge to all. She doesn't differentiate." "By letting students' hijab come in the way of their education, we are robbing the future of the daughters of India," he added in the tweet. The BJP, which is in power in Karnataka, reacted strongly to his comment
Why doesn't Gandhi make hijab mandatory: BJP
"By communalising education, CONgress co-owner @RahulGandhi has once again proved that he is dangerous to the future of India (sic)," the BJP's Karnataka unit tweeted. "If Hijab is very much essential to get educated, why doesn't Rahul Gandhi make it mandatory in States ruled by CONgress? Meanwhile, Karnataka BJP chief Nalin Kateel said, "We will not allow this to be made another Taliban state."
What is the state government's stand?
Karnataka's Home Minister Araga Jnandendra said that religion should be kept away from education, stressing students should neither wear hijabs nor saffron shawls to schools and colleges. On Friday, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai had also held a meeting to discuss the issue. In the coming week, the Karnataka High Court is set to take up two petitions filed by protesting students.
What do the protesters say?
Even as the issue rages on, protesting students say their studies are bearing the brunt. "We came to a government college because we could not afford the fees for a private college. Why are we facing discrimination when others can follow religious rituals?" said Almas, one of the six protesters at the Udupi college, according to the BBC.
