KPCC chief berates Zameer Khan

Bengaluru: The knee-jerk reaction from some senior Congress leaders to the hijab issue, has left KPCC chief D.K. Shivakumar livid. In a sharply-worded statement, Shivakumar particularly made his displeasure known to his party leaders for their statements.

In reaction to the statement of senior leader Zameer Ahmed Khan, Shivakumar stated, "I as the president of the party and the party as a whole will not accept the statement of Zameer Ahmed Khan as an official statement on the hijab issue. I have directed my party officials to issue a notice to Mr Khan in this regard and also ask him to apologise to the people of the State on his own behalf for the uncharitable statement he made."

Zameer Khan had said on Monday: "More rapes take place in India than anywhere in the world because women here do not wear burkha and hijab." Understandably, Khan came under fire not only from his own party colleagues but also from the ruling BJP. Kodagu-Mysuru MP Pratap Simha, State minister C.T. Ravi and many other leaders also from Janata Dal (Secular) have condemned the statement of Khan.

Seizing the opportunity, BJP leaders reiterated their claim that Khan's statement had exposed the Congress agenda to make burkha and hijab the common dress code for all women across the communities. They also demanded that the Congress leadership ask Khan to apologise to women in Karnataka, or else they would launch a state-wide agitation against him and the party.

Shivakumar's censure of Khan has cooled down the issue, but things are not the same in the Muslim community. Elders in the community have expressed dismay over the statement of Khan. "He made the statement in his individual capacity and cannot be ascribed to the Muslim community. He has brought down the esteem of the Muslim community in the eyes of their Hindu brethren. He must tender his apology to elders of the community," the KPCC chief said.