The Congress-led government in Karnataka is likely to review or entirely withdraw the executive orders and legislations, including the hijab ban laws, passed by the previous Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government. A tweet by Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge has fuelled speculations over the newly-inducted government overturning some of the decisions of the previous government over issues like religious conversion, hijab ban and cow slaughter, among others.

Priyank Kharge has suggested that the new state government will revise or withdraw all the policies and legislations of the previous BJP government, which are against the Constitution and against the inclusiveness of the society.

The Govt stands firm on reviewing any bill passed by the previous BJP Govt that:-affects the image of state-deters investment-does not create employment-is unconstitutional-violates rights of an individualWe want to build an economically & socially equal Karnataka

— Priyank Kharge / ಪ್ರಿಯಾಂಕ್ ಖರ್ಗೆ (@PriyankKharge) May 24, 2023

“The Govt stands firm on reviewing any bill passed by the previous BJP Govt that affects the image of state, deters investment, does not create employment, is unconstitutional or violates rights of an individual. We want to build an economically and socially equal Karnataka,” the Cabinet minister tweeted.

Kharge also made the assertion while speaking to reporters at his recent media interaction.

“Previous government had decided to observe certain jayantis and left out others. Not only jayantis, their orders, whether it is regarding textbooks, anti-cow slaughter, anti-conversion Bills, all of them will be revised," he said.

Days after the Congress secured a thumping victory in Karnataka Assembly elections, there are demands from various quarters to overturn the controversial hijab ban in the state, which has impacted the girl students from the Muslim community.

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Priyank Kharge, the son of AICC President Mallikarjun Kahrge, is one among eight ministers inducted into Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s Cabinet last week.

The controversy around wearing hijab at schools and colleges first erupted when a government pre-university college in Udupi banned hijab inside classrooms in February 2022. Subsequently, the Basavaraj Bommai-led government issued an order to ban hijab inside campuses on February 5, 2022. The order essentially allowed for the restriction on wearing of hijab inside government colleges where uniforms are prescribed.

The Karnataka High Court upheld this order issued by the state and ruled that “prescription of a school uniform” is a “reasonable restriction” that is “constitutionally permissible.”

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According to a report by People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) Karnataka, thousands of Muslim girls across the state were robbed of the right to education and a sizeable number of women could not appear for their examinations due to the government’s order.

(Edited by : Shoma Bhattacharjee)