Guwahati: From Hijab to making a dig at Rahul Gandhi for questioning India’s surgical strike against Pakistan, Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma stormed poll-bound Uttarakhand campaigning for the BJP on Friday.
“How dare Rahul Gandhi question India’s surgical strike against Pakistan led by Bipin Rawat? We never asked if he is the son of Rajiv Gandhi, did we?,” the chief minister said a an election rally at Kichha.
“Rahul Gandhi wanted proof of the Bipin Rawat-led surgical strike. Did we ever ask proof of which father’s son you are? Who gave you the right to ask for proof from the army? If our soldiers have said they carried out the attack inside Pakistan, that’s final,” CM Sarma said.
“If our soldiers have said they carried out the attack inside Pakistan, that’s final. Don’t you believe Bipin Rawat or soldiers? Have we ever asked if you are really Rajiv Gandhi’s son or not? So don’t disgrace the soldiers,” Mr Sarma said.
In 2016, the army carried out a surgical strike across the Line of Control to retaliate against a terror attack in Uri in which 19 soldiers were killed.
Making a frontal attack on the Congress for appeasing Muslims over the years, Dr Sarma said: “congress has used the Muslims as their vote bank and never worked for their economic or social uplift. The party wants the Muslims to remain backward and hence, is promoting madrassas and hijab.”
The chief minister’s statement comes in the wake of the Congress party supporting hijab to be worn by Muslim girls in schools.
“Congress has entered politics of polarization. Sometimes I feel that Jinnah’s soul has entered into them. They say it is right to open madrassas, they also say opening Muslim universities is right, they also say it is right to wear hijabs,” Sarma said.
“Colleges and school are for studies and not for fashion shows. We don’t have a problem on what anyone wants to wear. But in schools and colleges they want to wear hijab…tomorrow Hindus will say we want to wear a special dress, Christians will say we want to wear a specific dress,” CM Sarma said.
Students in many colleges in Karnataka have been protesting against restrictions on wearing the hijab in class. Rival saffron scarf protest at some colleges triggered violence that forced the police to fire teargas on campus.
“Muslim girls have aspirations to become doctors, engineers…Where are you trapping them with your hijab agenda?” CM Sarma said.
“You can wear hijab in any other place but in schools and colleges only uniforms should be allowed. Uniforms bring equality, love and respect among students. The Congress is saying Muslim girls should not become doctors, engineers but remain busy with the hijab agenda,” he added.
He said, “Muslim community needs education, not hijab. Muslim girls have the right to education like others.”
CM Sarma further went on to say that Congress is always focused on breaking the nation.
“Hijab was not an issue at all, but Congress made it an issue. Also, political Islam is Congress sponsored,” CM Sarma said.
“It is the Congress who is against laws, not Muslims,” he added.
