Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): After Karnataka, the hijab row has now reached Madhya Pradesh. The school education minister Inder Singh Parmar has said that hijab was not part of school uniform and the dress code should be followed strictly.
Talking to a section of media on Tuesday, Parmar said that the school education department would examine the issues related with school uniforms. When asked if there would be a ban on hijab in Madhya Pradesh, the minister replied that it was not part of the school uniform. Therefore, it should be banned.
“Such traditions should be followed at home. We will get the issue examined after calling a meeting of senior officials of the school education department,” Parmar said.
The department is working on introducing dress code in schools so that students remain disciplined. Important instructions pertaining to school uniforms will be released soon for the next academic session, said Parmar.
Reacting to a statement by the school education minister, Congress MLA Arif Masood said that the minister should focus on the poor state of schools in the state. They lack proper furniture and infrastructure. He should tell the state about what he has done for the betterment of schools rather than creating dispute.
“This country is run by Ambedkar’s Constitution and Gandhi’s philosophy and not by Godse’s ideology. If such a decision is taken, it will be contested in court besides protests on streets,” said Masood.
The statement by Parmar is unfortunate. Girls have been wearing hijab for the past 70 years. There is no incident so far wherein hijab affected the environment of a school adversely. As the minister could not improve the school infrastructure, he is trying to hide behind such statements, Masood added.
