Congress stages ‘black band’ protest in Karnataka Assembly over hijab row

Congress legislators wore black bands to the Karnataka legislature session on Monday to protest against the BJP government’s handling of the hijab row and the rejection of social reformer Narayana Guru’s tableau for the Republic Day parade.

Congress legislators sat through Governor Thaawar Chand Gehlot’s address to both houses of the legislature with black bands on their arms.

“We’re wearing the black band to protest the raking up of the Hijab issue. It is the BJP government that made boys wear saffron stoles, which is something RDPR Minister KS Eshwarappa himself admitted. He even said saffron will replace the tricolour on the Red Fort, and no action has been taken against him,” Leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah said.

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“The black band protest is also meant to condemn the rejection of Narayana Guru’s tableau,” he added.

The rejection of Narayana Guru’s tableau put the ruling BJP in a spot. The social reformer hail from Kerala, it was the Pinarayi Vijayan government that proposed the tableau - but he has followers in some parts of Karnataka, especially the coastal region where the BJP is strong.

Later in the day, Siddaramaiah will chair the Congress Legislature Party meeting where legislators will formulate a strategy to attack the BJP government during the session. It is likely that the party will explore the option of raising the Hijab issue, which is currently before the High Court for adjudication.

“We will raise the law-and-order issue, corruption, the 40% commission charge levelled by contractors and other failures of the government,” Karnataka Congress president DK Shivakumar told reporters.

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