New Delhi/Patna: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was in the crosshairs of controversy for the fourth day on Thursday – a Union minister defending his act of pulling down a Muslim woman’s veil, his colleague looking to put a lid on the row while the chorus of outrage from across sections grew louder.
The incident, a video clip of which has been circulated widely and sparked a major political row, took place on Monday at the chief minister’s secretariat in Patna when Ayush doctors had gathered to receive their letters of appointment.
When the woman came up for her letter, Kumar saw her ‘naqab’, said “what is this” and then removed the veil.
As opposition parties asked Kumar for an unconditional apology and others articulated their distress, Union minister Giriraj Singh waded right into the row and said it is up to the woman to refuse the appointment or “go to hell”.
Kumar, Singh insisted, had done nothing wrong. “If someone is going to collect an appointment letter, should they not show their face? Is this some Islamic country? Nitish Kumar acted as a guardian,” he argued.
“If you are going to get a passport, do you not show your face? When you go to the airport, do you not show your face? People talk about Pakistan and Englishtan, but this is India. In India, the rule of law prevails,” Singh said and added that Kumar did the right thing.
Responding to reports that the woman had refused to take up the job following the incident, he said, “Whether she refuses the job or goes to hell, that’s her choice (Woh refuse kare ya jahannum mein jaye).”
In Patna, Bihar Health Minister Mangal Pandey said he was unaware of the reports and sought to clamp down on the controversy by saying that the ruling NDA in the state has always worked for empowerment of women.
“Women have always been respected by our CM, who has made huge efforts for the empowerment of Matri Shakti,” the senior BJP leader said.
On Wednesday, Uttar Pradesh minister Sanjay Nishad asked, “What would have happened if he touched her somewhere else?” Facing a backlash over the comment, termed crass and misogynistic, he said the spirit of his remark was lost in translation.
The incident has drawn criticism from far and wide, including many West Asian countries, and the JD (U) president is facing accusations of disrespecting Muslim traditions, allegedly in line with ‘RSS agenda’.
Congress MP from Bihar’s Katihar Tariq Anwar slammed Singh and Kumar. “These are third-rate people, they have a cheap mindset. They don’t understand that our country is secular. Everyone is free to practice their religion. What Nitish Kumar has done is shameful and saddening,” Anwar said.
