Parliamentary opposition brings up K'taka hijab dispute

New Delhi/Mangaluru: As the controversy over wearing 'hijab' on campus raged in Karnataka, the opposition raised the Karnataka hijab row in the Lok Sabha on Monday. Congress, the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), and some other MPs raised the issue, which has become a matter of national concern these days.

Raising the issue in Loksabha, a Congress MP from Kerala TN Prathapan said that the garment of the Muslim women is like "mangalsutra for Hindus, the crucifix of the Christians and turbans for the Sikhs". He also demanded the Union education minister's intervention in the matter.

"I request the Education Minister to intervene in this matter to guarantee that the constitutional rights of students are protected and the issue is resolved," said Prathapan.

"Girls are sitting outside classrooms and demanding their fundamental rights. The hijab is a part of their cultural and religious identity of these girls. It is like the mangalsutra for Hindus, crucifix for the Christians and turbans for the Sikhs," Prathapan said during Zero Hour.

He also said that there is a tendency of some people in this country that if they see a Sikh with a turban protesting against the government, they will "call him a Khalistani". He said that if they see a person wearing a cross he will be "attacked".

"If they see a Muslim girl wearing Hijab, they will stop them for getting education. Where are they taking our India? We cannot lose our diversity. I request the education minister to interfere in this issue to ensure the constitutional rights of these girls. That is real Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas," he said.

MPs from the IUML had earlier given notice for an adjournment so debate could be held on the Udupi Hijab row recently occurring in Karnataka.

Earlier in the day, Karnataka state education minister B C Nagesh said students who insist on hijab-wearing will not be allowed into the government educational institutions. Then, he asked some students protesting on the street outside the college to sit in a separate room but they were not imparted lessons.

Meanwhile, Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president D K Shivakumar alleged on Monday alleged that the BJP is trying to create unrest among the students and the public in Karnataka over the hijab issue

The BJP has been following this line since its inception, Shivakumar told reporters at the Mangaluru airport. The BJP is making a hue and cries over the issue to mock and tease Congress, he said.

He said the country is facing difficult times and there is an urgent need to rebuild the nation by strengthening the Congress.

Shivakumar was at Mangaluru is to lead the party's membership drive in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts. He also alleged that the controversy is part of a conspiracy to poison the minds of young people.

Addressing a press meet at the district Congress committee office at Mangaluru, he said the "hijab row is an insult to our country and against the tradition of the land." He said the coastal region has its own history, culture, and human resources and is known as an educational hub.

Instead of addressing several issues like unemployment and petrol price hike, sensitive issues like hijab-wearing are being raked up by vested interests, he added

Shivakumar expressed the hope that the students will soon get justice on the hijab issue as all have faith in the constitution.

On Dakshina Kannada district-in-charge Minister V Sunil Kumar's statements on the row, Shivakumar said the minister has the responsibility to abide by the oath taken in the assembly.