Udupi MLA responsible for escalation of hijab controversy: SDPI

The issue could have amicable been resolved, SDPI State president Abdul Majid said and alleged the MLA, however, did not to pursue that course of action

The Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) blamed Udupi MLA K. Raghupathi Bhat for the hijab issue becoming an international controversy and demanded his resignation terming him incompetent to be a legislator.

SDPI State president Abdul Majid told reporters in Udupi on February 17 that the MLA should own moral responsibility for the issue getting aggravated, and step down. He was responsible for the issue becoming a controversy at the international level as Mr. Bhat failed to discharge his duties as a legislator.

“We do responsible politics, and there was no need to play with the future of the student community to do politics,” he said.

He said the MLA did not intervene when students made representations to the college principal and the management to allow them to wear hijab. Mr. Bhat became active when students were denied entry into classrooms. At that moment, students sought help from a students’ association (Campus Front of India).

The issue could have amicable been resolved, Mr. Majid said and alleged the MLA however did not to pursue that course of action. “Because of the anti-Muslim attitude of the MLA, the future of the student community is at stake,” he said.