Rahul Gandhi says women should be able to wear what they want.
A student from Aligarh University raised a question about hijab ban in Karnataka
Rahul Gandhi is on his Bharat Jodo Yatra and currently he is in Uttar Pradesh had interaction with students of Aligarh University
The issue started in January 2022 when some Muslim students at a government pre-university college in Karnataka's Udupi were denied entry for wearing hijabs, citing a violation of the college's uniform policy. The incident sparked widespread protests from and counter-protests from the right-wing supporters across the state.
The then BJP government responded by issuing an order that mandated uniforms in educational institutions where such policies existed, effectively banning the wearing of hijabs in these settings.
This decision was challenged in court, and on March 15, 2022, the Karnataka High Court upheld the ban. The court ruled that wearing a hijab is not an "essential religious practice" in Islam and therefore does not fall under the protection of Article 25 of the Indian Constitution, which guarantees the fundamental right to freely practice one's religion.
This hijab ban created extreme disappointment among Muslims in Karnataka, their discontent reflected in the May 2023 elections when BJP lost. Later Congress Government in Karnataka and allowed students to wear hijab for competitive exams.
In December last year, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced that his government will withdraw the order banning hijab in schools and colleges in the state.
Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Monday said that women's choice of clothing, including hijab, should be respected and one should not dictate what a person has to wear.
Rahul Gandhi is on his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, from east to west he embarked on his journey from Manipur to Maharashtra, now he is in Uttar Pradesh. Rahul Gandhi made the remarks while interacting with female students at the Aligarh Muslim University in Uttar Pradesh.
During the interaction, a girl mentioned the recent hijab ban in Karnataka and asked the former Congress president about his views on it if he were the prime minister.
"What a woman wants to wear is her business. She should be allowed. This is my opinion. What to wear is your decision. I don't think anyone else should have a say on what you wear," Rahul Gandhi said.