It's a woman's right to wear anything, says Priyanka Gandhi

Congress leader Priyanka Vadra stepped out on Wednesday in favour of college students in Karnataka who have been barred from wearing the hijab in class, tweeting that the choice of what to wear is theirs alone, and that their right to do so is protected by the Constitution.

“Whether it is a bikini, a ghoonghat, a pair of jeans, or a hijab, it is a woman’s right to decide what she wants to wear. This right is GUARANTEED by the Indian constitution. Stop harassing women,” Priyanka Gandhi Vadra tweeted with the hashtag #ladkihoonladsaktihoon.

Rahul Gandhi, a Congress MP, replied to his sister’s tweet with a ‘thumbs-up’ emoji.

The Congress’ war cry for the seven-phase Uttar Pradesh Assembly election, which begins tomorrow, is #ladkihoonladsaktihoon. Women’s rights and empowerment have been identified as a significant topic for the party ahead of the election, with Priyanka Gandhi Vadra leading the charge.

Rahul Gandhi tweeted last week in favour of students’ right to wear the hijab in class, tweeting: "By letting students' hijab come in the way of their education, we are robbing the future of the daughters of India. Ma Saraswati gives knowledge to all. She doesn't differentiate."

The Congress has been supporting the protesting students with former Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah, Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi, Shashi Tharoor extending their support to the cause.

What began as a protest in a few Karnataka institutions has turned into a massive controversy, with cases of stone-pelting in several Karnataka localities over the hijab row. The Muslim students’ petition for the right to wear the headscarf in the classroom will be heard again by the high court.

Muslim Girl CHANTS ‘Allahu Akbar’ as Hindu mob surrounds her

The hijab vs. saffron scarf controversy in Karnataka colleges took on a horrifying aspect after a student in a burqa was heckled by a large group of slogan-shouting, saffron scarf-wearing boys in a college in Mandya.

The Mandya Pre-University college has released video of a fight between a Muslim student and a saffron-clad mob.

When students wearing saffron scarves shout “Jai Shri Ram” and come towards the young woman in the video, she parks her scooter and walks to the college building.

“Allah hu Akbar!” the Muslim student responds!

How the controversy started?

Six students at an Udupi college said they were barred from wearing the hijab in class, which caused a controversy in December. Their protests sparked a wave of counter-protests led by mobs of students and others waving saffron scarves and chanting “Jai Shri Ram.”

The protests have also triggered a political row with worrying communal overtones in the southern state and others; similar incidents have been reported from Madhya Pradesh and Puducherry.

On February 5, the Karnataka state government issued an order making uniforms mandated by it or private institution managements mandatory for students in state schools and pre-university colleges.

Students who insist on wearing hijab (head scarves) will not be admitted into government educational institutions, according to Education Minister BC Nagesh. He also ordered that female protester be placed in a separate college room.

The BJP-led government in Karnataka has remained relatively silent as it awaits the High Court’s ruling on a plea filed by five women challenging the ban on wearing hijabs.

Karnataka’s CM yesterday ordered all schools and colleges to close for 3 days

Karnataka’s schools and colleges will be closed for the next three days. The Chief Minister, Basavaraj S. Bommai, has appealed for “peace and harmony.” Five women from a government college in Udupi have petitioned the Karnataka High Court to remove the ban on wearing the hijab.

Also Read: Malala Yousafzai questions Indian politicians over hijab row