Fulfilling Poll Promises: Karnataka to overturn hijab ban

Bengaluru: Over a year after the Karnataka hijab row took over the state, the newly-installed Congress government has decided to overturn the controversial hijab ban, calling the previous decision a communal divide move by the BJP government.

The Congress won the Karnataka elections 2023 with a massive majority and is currently waiting to settle down and expand their Cabinet. Senior leader Siddaramaiah became the Chief Minister with DK Shivakumar assuming the Deputy CM post.

While campaigning for the May 10 Assembly polls, the Congress, especially Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, had vehemently stated that the ban on hijab and all laws made on the communal basis by the previous BJP government would be withdrawn once the party assumes power in the state. Asked about Amnesty International’s rising concern on the hijab ban in Karnataka, Dy CM Shivakumar on Wednesday stated in Vidhana Soudha, "I don’t want to comment on the matter of hijab as it is a policy matter."

However, Cabinet minister Priyank Kharge, addressing reporters, maintained that the Congress will withdraw the ban on hijab, halal cut, and cow slaughter laws. Apart from this, the Anti-Conversion law can also be retracted by the Congress government.

A decision will soon be taken on the construction of a 114-foot tall Jesus Christ statue in Kapalabetta near Kanakapura town. This is proposed to be the largest Christ statue in the world.

The Karnataka hijab row has begun when school and college girls were stopped from entering the premises of their educational institutes while wearing a hijab for violating the school dress code. This soon led to a massive protest roused by hijab-wearing schoolgirls.