Siddaramaiah is not fit to be CM: Pralhad Joshi on hijab row

Hubballi: Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi criticised the Congress government in the State over the hijab row, stating that "There should be limits to dividing society, but Congress is exceeding them".

Joshi condemned the statements of Congress leaders and ministers, claiming that the previous BJP government had not banned the hijab, and Muslim women continue to wear it regularly. He added that Siddaramaiah is not fit to be the chief minister of the State.

"A couple of years ago, when a college principal asked the government about the hijab issue at their college, the government ordered that all students should wear uniforms in the school-colleges. The same order was upheld by the High Court, and the court also stated that hijab is not a mandatory part of Islam. Later, the issue was taken to the Supreme Court. No government has banned hijab," Joshi said.

"Although there is no ban on hijab, the Congress government in the State is betraying society by misguiding people. It is foolishness on Siddaramaiah's part to cover up their failures. After Congress lost in the recently held assembly elections in five states, the party is attempting to divert attention from their debacle. People are living peacefully, but Congress is trying to create differences in society," he added.

“After meeting Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Siddaramaiah behaves like this, and he might be influenced by Rahul Gandhi. I strongly condemn the utter nonsense by Siddaramaiah and Congress leaders, who are appeasing Muslims to secure their votes in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls (sic),” Joshi said, mocking Congress leaders.

Suspecting external instructions over the Congress protest during parliamentary sessions in New Delhi, Joshi said the Congress party lost polls in four States, hence their "mental imbalance has increased".

"Before the winter session, in all-party meetings, the Congress leaders agreed not to stage protests with placards in the house well. On the first day, the Congress leaders participated in the session for over 40 minutes. After they received instructions from outside, they staged a protest with placards at the house well," Joshi alleged.

"Congress is a confused party, so they started a disturbance in the house. Congress leaders wanted suspension in the house; they started to request the chairman to suspend them and also brought placards. Such mentality of Congress leaders shows how much they are interested in the happenings of the country," Joshi claimed.

"The decision of the union government to replace the existing British-era criminal laws with new three bills has become a big embarrassment for the Congress leaders, which led to a ruckus in the house. Despite several letters by Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar to AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge, the Congress top brass has not agreed to visit the Vice President to discuss the issue,” Joshi said.