Union Minister Giriraj Singh on Thursday defended Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar after a viral video showed him trying to remove a woman’s hijab, saying he did so as a guardian.
Speaking to reporters, Giriraj Singh raised questions over the woman covering her face while taking the appointment letter from the Bihar Chief Minister.
“Nitish Kumar has done nothing wrong. If someone goes to get his appointment letter, will he not show his face? Is this an Islamic nation? Nitish Kumar did this as a guardian. Don’t you show your face while going to the passport office? Don’t you show your face while going to the airport? This is India, and rule of law will prevail here. What Nitish Kumar did is right… Nowadays there is a new trend of associating everything with Islam,” he said.
His comments come amid growing criticism from opposition parties over a widely circulated video of a government event in Patna, in which Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is seen pulling down the hijab of a woman while giving her a certificate.
Earlier, a complaint was lodged against Nitish Kumar and Uttar Pradesh Cabinet Minister Sanjay Nishad at Kaiserbagh police station in Lucknow over the viral hijab video, which had sparked outrage among political leaders from all parties and condemned Nitish Kumar’s actions. Samajwadi Party leader Sumaiya Rana lodged the complaint with her lawyers, demanding registration of FIR against both the leaders and strict legal action.
However, Union Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi on Thursday said the Chief Minister’s intentions were not wrong and the matter should not be viewed from a religious perspective. Speaking to ANI, Manjhi said, “His intentions were not wrong. We should not view it from a religious perspective.”
