With the debate on the hijab issue continuously heating with each passing day, Karnataka Home Minister G. Parameshwara has said that the government will take a decision after looking into the matter deeply.
“We have not made any orders regarding hijab. CM Siddaramaiah himself said that even if it is done, we will check it. The government will take a decision after looking into it deeply,” G Parameshwara told ANI.
Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader KT Rama Rao slammed the Congress-led Karnataka government on Sunday, saying that the Siddaramaiah government has not lifted the ban on hijab yet in the state and they are still thinking about it.
“They have not lifted the ban on hijab yet and the CM has said that they are thinking about it. People are seeing the behaviour of Congress–what they say before coming to power and how they change after getting power,” KTR said.
The debate on hijab issue again rose to prominence after Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced in a public meeting that his government will lift the ban on hijab imposed by the previous BJP government in the state.
“We are thinking of withdrawing the decision (of hijab ban). We will discuss it. I have said this in response to a question. We have not done it yet,” the Chief Minister said.
Former Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai accused current CM Siddaramaiah of hiding the failures of his government as well as raising the issue for only political gains.
He told reporters here on Saturday that the Hijab was not banned all over the state but not allowed where there was a dress code. Muslim women are permitted to wear the hijab everywhere.
“When the hijab is not banned where is the question of lifting the ban,” he questioned.
The previous BJP government in the State had brought in an order stating that religious attires will not be permitted inside educational institutions where there is a uniform dress code rule. However, some Muslim students had demanded the right to wear hijab inside schools and colleges. The matter reached the Karnataka High Court, which also upheld the order by the then-BJP government. In this regard, the Supreme Court delivered a split verdict, leading to the Karnataka High Court verdict being upheld.
It is notable here that there was never a ‘hijab ban’ in Karnataka. The government order regarding uniform dress codes in schools and colleges was against all kinds of visible religious attire, not specifically hijab. The High Court upheld the rights of respective educational institutions to mandate a uniform dress code inside their premises.
(With inputs from ANI)
