Rajasthan agriculture minister Kirodi Lal Meena has jumped into the hijab controversy demanding ban on hijab.
“There are many countries where hijab is banned . Here also hijab should be banned. This is symbol of slavery. We must shed it,” Meena said.
Meena is the second BJP leader after Hawa Mahal MLA Balmukund Acharya who delivered controversial statement regarding hijab.
While Muslim girls demonstrated in front of a local police station demanding arrest of Balmukund Acharya for his statement on hijab. They also sought public apology from the MLA.
Acharya had allegedly said that hijab should not be allowed in schools while addressing annual function of a government girls school. The Muslim girls alleged that at the behest of Acharya, his followers raised slogans in the function. Acharya allegedly had said how girls breathe with hijab on and had suggested that it should not be allowed in educational institutions.
“We can't allow Acharya to spread Hindu Muslim divide in schools. He can't say anything against hijab, which is our tradition and culture,” said girls, who were demonstrating in front of police station.
On the other hand, Balmukund Acharya said that he was not against hijab. He had just asked the school principal about the dress code of the school.
“When I went to the school I saw a divide. At one side girls were wearing hijab and on the other side girls were without it. Tomorrow Hindu girls can also wear colourful lehenga chunni in the name of tradition. When there is a dress code, girls should follow it. They just need guidance on that,” he said.
He said that every place has a dress code and one should follow.
“I had visited Madarsa also. But I never raised any question on dress code there,” Acharya Balmukund clarified.
Hijab ban demanded in Karnataka also
In 2022, similar dispute pertaining to school uniforms was reported in Karnataka when some Muslim students of a junior college who wanted to wear hijab to classes were denied entry on the grounds that it was a violation of the college's uniform policy which was also followed by the other religion students as well. The then BJP government in Karnataka had banned it in educational institutions in February 2022.
Later when Congress government took over, the ban was lifted with chief minister Siddaramaiah it is a personal choice to wear the kind of dress one wants.
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