Hijab row: Bommai appeals to everyone to maintain peace, restrain from making provocative statements
New Delhi, Feb 8: As the hijab row intensified further in Karnataka, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Tuesday appealed to the Opposition and the people concerned not to escalate the situation by making "provocative" statements and to wait for the High Court order.
The state government is going by the law on dress code and the same stand has been put before the court, he said.
"Let's wait for the judiciary's decision and we will abide by whatever it says," he added.
The chief minister also said that the Karnataka government has declared a holiday in high schools and colleges in the state for the next three days in order to maintain law and order.
Replying to queries from reporters here, Bommai said there were some disturbances in a few places and appealed for peace and harmony.
"I appeal to students to maintain peace and there is no occasion for any clashes.
"I appeal to teachers to ensure peace is maintained. I am asking concerned people not to make provocative statements and aggravate the situation because it is a very sensitive issue as far as students are concerned," he said.
Students have to sit together and do academic activities. Therefore, peace and harmony should be maintained, he said and asked teachers and management of schools and colleges to maintain peace.
Tension had prevailed at some educational institutions in Udupi, Shivamogga, Bagalkote and other parts of the state as they were rocked by protests for and against hijab today, forcing the police and administration to intervene.
The Karnataka High Court today heard petitions filed by five girls studying in a Government Pre-university College in Udupi, questioning hijab restriction in college and the matter has been posted for Wednesday.
The protest over dress code started in one school and has spread to other districts.
"It is very unfortunate. The matter is seized by the High Court. As I speak now, the High Court proceedings on this matter are going on. ...We are waiting for the directions from the court," he said.
Similar situations were witnessed in other states and different high courts have given different judgements. "Our matter is also in the HC," he said.
As far as the legality of the whole issue is concerned, the state government has put its case clearly as per the Karnataka Education Act, he said and added: "Let us wait for the direction from the High Court, till that time the peace needs to be maintained. I appeal to everyone."
On opposition parties in Parliament raising the hijab row and accusing the BJP of polarisation, the CM said, "These are all allegations and do not have any ground."
Proper education has to be given to students in the state. The state government is going by the law on dress code and the same stand has been put before the court, he said.
Bommai, on the second day of his visit to the national capital, met Commerce and Industries Minister Piyush Goyal and requested him to give production-linked incentives for toy and FMCG industries in the state.
He also spoke to BJP National President J P Nadda over the phone over the state issue. "Naddaji has said he will speak to me after two days," he added.
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Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
