G Parameshwara, Home Minister of Karnataka
With the debate on the hijab issue intensifying day by day, Karnataka Home Minister G. Parameshwara has said that the government will take a decision after conducting an in-depth investigation into the matter.
“We have not issued any orders regarding the 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 in depth,” G Parameshwara told ANI.
Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader KT Rama Rao on Sunday criticized the Congress-led Karnataka government, saying that the Siddaramaiah government has not yet lifted the ban on hijab in the state and they are still considering it.
“They have not yet lifted the ban on hijab and the CM has said they are thinking about it. People see the behavior of Congress – what they say before coming to power and how they change after coming to power,” KTR said.
The debate on the hijab issue regained 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 revoking the decision (of the hijab ban). We will discuss it. I said this in response to a question. We have not done it yet,” the Prime Minister said.
Former Prime Minister Basavaraj Bommai accused current CM Siddaramaiah of covering up his government's failures and raising the issue only for political gains.
He told reporters here on Saturday that the hijab was not banned across the state but was not allowed in places where there was a dress code. Muslim women can wear the hijab anywhere.
“If the hijab is not banned, what is the issue of lifting the ban?” he asked.
The previous BJP government in the state had imposed a hijab ban on students in educational institutions. The case reached the Karnataka High Court, which also upheld the ban imposed by the then BJP government. In this regard, the Supreme Court delivered a split judgment, upholding the judgment of the Karnataka High Court.
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First print: December 25, 2023 | 6:46 am IST