Karnataka State SUCI(C) on Hijab controversy

Comrade K Uma, Karnataka State Secretary, SUCI(Communist), in a statement issued on 11 February 2022, severely condemned the incidents threatening communal harmony and co existence of different religions in Karnataka for the last few days and the way the BJP State Government has handled them. It is glaringly evident that an issue in a college, in a district which could have been solved, is now blowing up across the state due to the overt and tacit support of the government. The conscious people of the State have to take note of this fact: The rulers of the country threw to the winds the dream of secular, democratic India of Vivekananda, Netaji and Bhagat Singh. In post independent India, all the governments have permitted the observation of religious rituals in the government and educational institutions and at times encouraged them too. Instead of the real concept of secularism which means that the State should be completely neutral regarding religion, considering it as an issue of personal belief or non-belief, all the ruling governments have consistently patronized all religious customs. Religious rituals are permitted in government schools and colleges, offices, even at the centre of State governance, the Vidhana Soudha. The concept that the religious rituals are not to be observed in institutions sponsored by the government is given a good bye. Additionally, the ruling parties have been nurturing communalism-casteism by supporting one religion/caste or the other inciting them against others for their petty vested electoral interests. United people’s movements are bursting forth against the intolerable, burning problems of their lives through out the country as well as in the State. The government has failed to redress the dire straits the people are in due to the severe economic oppression and Covid pandemic. In such a situation, on one hand to break the unity of the people and on the other, to divert the attention of the people from their real problems, the government and the affiliated institutions of the ruling party have taken recourse to the present machination. For decades, all kinds of religious rituals are going on in schools & colleges. But, all of a sudden, a controversy was raised against wearing of ‘Hijab’, an emotional issue. The government which is expected to take a neutral stand, has been glaringly discriminatory. Young minds were polluted with this vile intention, incited to riots. Fear and a feeling of insecurity were created in the minds of Muslim minorities, especially among the girls who were keen on being educated. By not taking any action against those ‘students’, obviously violating laws, the situation was allowed to worsen.
Apart from this, the government and the many leaders of the ruling party sided with such criminal actions and have created an atmosphere of turmoil through out the state; this has maligned the dignity & honour of our State known for communal harmony. The harmonious tradition enriched by stalwarts like Kuvempu, Tejaswi, Kodagina Gowramma, Pandit Taranath and the like has taken a severe beating. But it is very heartening to note that the peace loving people and majority of the students of the State have not fallen victims to this conspiracy in spite of a strong incitement. They have maintained their unity. We heartily congratulate them for this.We demand of the government to check such evil designs on a war footing.