The hijab row turned into a state crisis last year, it was started by six students from Udupi Pre-University Girls’ College. These students who refuse to attend class without a hijab claim to be waiting for the Supreme Court‘s final decision. The problem became communal and led to revenge killings in the state. At the height of the crisis, it caught the attention of the global terrorist organization al-Qaeda. The ruling BJP is said to have used this issue to propagate the Hindutva agenda, which divided society, especially the student community.
Sources said on Wednesday that the new Karnataka Congress government is ready to lift the hijab ban in the state. The new government is waiting to calm down and complete the expansion of the cabinet. During the campaign for the May 10 general election, the Congress, especially Deputy Prime Minister DK Shivakumar, had made strong statements that the headscarf ban and all community laws enacted by the previous BJP government would be withdrawn once the party came to power in the state.
Karnataka Deputy CM DK Shivkumar stated that “I do not want to comment on the matter of hijab as it is a policy matter” when asked about Amnesty International‘s rising concern on hijab ban in Karnataka in Vidhana Soudha.
But Priyank Kharge the cabinet minister said to the reporters in the press meet that the Congress will withdraw halal cut, the hijab ban and cow slaughter laws. Priyank Kharge stated “We will relook at every policy matter that the previous government has brought in”. Sources say that the Laws regarding Anti Conversion are also to be lifted by the Party. The government that previously led the state had taken the decision and observed certain Jayanti’s that is the birth anniversary of prominent figures and left out the others. And there were a lot of configurations in the school textbooks as well.
Priyank Kharge said, all the laws and bills that hamper the growth and progress of the state and matters that would affect the state’s prosperity and Kannadigas would be withdrawn. He said, their main motto as a party is to make Karnataka the number one state again and further steps will be taken keeping that in mind.
Priyank Kharge is one among the eight cabinet ministers led by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah that was inducted last week.
We can see that the party is taking cautious steps on these matters as they are looking forward to the Lok Sabha election next year and does not want BJP to have an issue that they might use against them. However some leaders of the Congress Party feel that these matters have to be pursued, since the proposing on ban of Bajrang Dal helped them manifest the elections.
Category: Politics
Tags: Politics, Karnataka, Congress, Government
