Hijab row is a non-issue, says Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar. He explains

Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar said if someone covers their head and not just their face, there is nothing to debate about

PATNA: Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar on Monday played down the raging controversy over hijab in schools and colleges, saying there was no need to make it an issue.

On the hijab controversy that erupted in Karnataka, Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar said it was a non-issue and stressed that there was no need to focus on it. (HT File Photo/Raj K Raj)

“We are the ones telling people to cover their faces with a mask. But if someone also covers their head, what is there to debate about,” Nitish Kumar told reporters on Monday, his first remark on the controversy which first broke out in Udupi, about 400km from Karnataka capital Bengaluru in December when at least eight students started protesting for being barred from entering classrooms for wearing the hijab, a headscarf used by Muslim women.

A little over a month later, protests spread to several other schools that have also enforced hijab bans, reinforced by a Karnataka government order on uniforms that bars students from wearing clothes that could disturb “equality, integrity and public order”.

The Karnataka high court is hearing multiple petitions related to the controversy, and has, in the interim, ordered that no one will be allowed to wear any religious attire to school until the final verdict is delivered.

A petition was also filed in the Supreme Court against the high court’s interim ruling but the top court did not intervene and said it is “watching” what’s happening in the state.

Nitish Kumar, who was talking to reporters after holding the Janata Darbar where he listens to public grievances, said hijab was a non-issue in Bihar.

He said some people come with sandalwood paste on their forehead. “Such actions hardly lead to an issue in Bihar. Some issues crop up in the rest of the country, which is immaterial for us,” the chief minister said.

“We respect people (of all religious faiths), regarding their way of practising (religion) and we work for all. We do not interfere in their way (of practising religion or culture). Such things are better ignored,” he added.

Reiterating his demand for special status to Bihar, Nitish Kumar said that the state made remarkable progress in many areas since he took over as the chief minister in 2005. “However, Niti Aayog’s report that ranked Bihar low underlined the need for special incentives from the Centre to bring about significant change. Per capita income of Bihar has shot past ₹50,000, which is, however, very low as compared to national average of ₹1.25 lakh,” said the CM.

On the demand for caste census, Kumar said that the central government has already been requested to reconsider the demand for it, which will help the state plan its strategies for the holistic growth of every segment of the society. “We have also decided to hold an all-party meeting to discuss the next course of action to be taken by the state government in case of the state’s demand for caste-wise enumeration of people is completely ruled out by the Centre,” he added.