CPI(M) leader John Brittas on Friday raised the hijab issue in Rajya Sabha claiming that over a lakh Muslim girl students have dropped out of government colleges in Karnataka after the controversial ban on head coverings in educational institutions in the state. Brittas was taking part in a discussion on private member resolution, moved by Abdul Wahab of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), seeking that the government implement the recommendations of the Sachar Committee report.
Brittas lamented that Wahab’s resolution lacked clarity in highlighting matters that have gone against Muslims. Referring to the Hijab row in Karnataka, he said as a result of the controversy, “more than one lakh Muslim girls backed out of government colleges in Karnataka alone.”
The enrolment of Muslim girls in educational institutions has come down drastically, Brittas said, adding that it should have been the other way round.
“In Supreme Court, the Karnataka government filed an affidavit in the hijab case and said that it was not allowing hijab to ensure a secular dress code for college students. Fair enough. In a country like India, the largest state, that is Uttar Pradesh, the chief minister is sporting religious attire. No issues,” Brittas said.
Brittas later posted a video clip of his remarks on Twitter and said, “Hijab is against secular dress code but no issue if the CM of the largest state wears a religious attire! Quality of a democracy is always judged by the representation it gives to various sections & thats where we have to seriously ponder over! (sic)”
Wahab also demanded the formation of a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) or a judicial commission headed by a retired Supreme Court judge “to study the evictions that have been carried out as a form of collective and arbitrary punishment against the Muslim minority and low-income communities”.
“In the last few months, a new pattern has emerged to evict and bulldoze properties,” Wahab said, citing certain instances in Uttarakhand and Assam.
Therefore, he said, “I propose that the House urges upon the government to implement the recommendations of the Sachar Committee report and other reports that have discussed the educational and social backwardness of Muslims.”
