Bengaluru, May 13: Amit Malviya, head of the IT cell of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has sharply criticized the Karnataka government’s recent decision to revoke the 2022 school uniform order. This change allows the inclusion of limited traditional and religious symbols, including the hijab, in schools and colleges.
Malviya took to the social media platform X to express his concerns. He stated that the Congress-led Karnataka government has quietly rescinded the uniform directive issued on February 5, 2022, effectively reopening the doors for hijabs in schools under the guise of permitting “limited traditional and religious symbols.”
He emphasized that the government’s new order, while claiming to maintain uniformity, explicitly allows religious symbols and hijabs within educational institutions. He described this move not as empowerment, but as institutionalizing religious identity in classrooms, which he believes undermines childhood and promotes conservatism. Schools should be environments where young minds can develop freely and equally, rather than places where political parties foster division for electoral gain.
Malviya further asserted that the Congress party does not genuinely care about Muslim girls; instead, it seems focused on promoting regressive sentiments. He pointed out that the timing of this decision is telling, especially following a recent incident involving a ritual in a school. Rather than enforcing fairness and discipline, the government has chosen a path of appeasement. He stressed that a uniform should mean uniformity, and classrooms should be dedicated to education, not religious displays.
It is noteworthy that the Karnataka government has indeed withdrawn its February 5, 2022, school uniform order and issued new guidelines. These guidelines permit students across the state to wear hijabs, turbans, sacred threads, and rudraksha beads alongside the prescribed uniforms in schools and colleges.
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