On Tuesday, K Chandrasekhar Rao, Telangana’s chief minister, attacked the Centre again over the hijab row. He accused it of playing “hijab Panchayati” (“politics over hijab”).
Mr. Rao stated that the BJP “uses all opportunities to create communal division” during his response to the discussion about the budget in the Telangana assembly.
“What does it have to do with the government with who wears which clothes?” The hijab controversy, “Why are you causing a commotion?” He questioned the state assembly about the huge row in BJP-ruled Karnataka.
Since December last year, the neighboring state has been in turmoil over the issue. It has now reached the Supreme Court. The Karnataka High Court affirmed the ban on headscarves being worn in schools today. It stated that hijab was not an essential part of Islam.
Students who challenged the ban at the High Court had argued that the hijab was an essential practice and is protected by Article 25 of the constitution.
“We are of the considered view that wearing hijab by Muslim women doesn’t form an essential religious practice in Islamic Faith,” the judges stated, refusing to overturn the government’s ban on headscarves.
Yet, the court suggested that an “unseen hand” could work behind the scenes to create social unrest or disharmony.
Telangana’s ruling party, Mr. Rao, has also criticized the BJP for the Centre’s “double engine growth.”
He cited figures that or show the Centre’s poor performance. According to data from Reserve Bank, the Centre has a debt of 58.5 percent of the GDP, and it stands at 152 lakh crore. He said that states could not have more than 25%.
