People of all faiths should accept school dress code, says Amit Shah, but adds court’s decision must be followed

“It is my personal belief that people of all religions should accept the school’s dress code. And the issue is now in court, and the court is conducting its hearings on the matter. Whatever it decides should be followed by all,” Shah said in an interview with News18 TV channel.

Shah’s comments come at a time when the High Court in Karnataka is to decide on petitions filed against the ban on hijab in education institutions by the BJP government in the state. An interim order has been passed asking students not to wear any religious clothing, in institutions wherein the College Development Committee have prescribed a dress code, until the court delivers its verdict on it.

Speaking on the ongoing elections in Uttar Pradesh, Shah, who has been intensely campaigning in the state, chose to differ with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s statement that the Assembly election is an 80 vs 20 battle, implying a religious divide between Hindus and Muslims in the state.

“I don’t think this election is about Muslims or Yadavs or Hindus. Yogi ji may have spoken about vote percentages but not about Muslims vs Hindus,” Shah said. Yogi’s statement had sparked controversy as it was seen as an attempt to polarise the electorate on communal lines.

Shah has given “polarisation” a new meaning. “Yes, polarisation is happening. The poor and farmers are being polarised. Many farmers are getting money from the Kisan Kalyan Nidhi Yojana. I can see ‘polarisation’ clearly.” he said adding: “Voting pattern can’t be termed polarisation”.

In the interview, Shah criticised Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for his statement in the Lok Sabha that the BJP government’s “flawed foreign policy and the Kashmir policy” had brought Pakistan and China closer which according to him had become a serious threat for India. “Rahul Gandhi doesn’t know the history of this country. He doesn’t know what happened in 1962 and because of whom. The Narendra Modi government has given a strong reply to every challenge posed by China,” Shah said.

He took strong exception to Gandhi making such remarks in Parliament. “The Narendra Modi government has protected the borders and sovereignty of the country. I don’t think these kinds of statements about neighbouring countries should be made by any national leader. I want to ask him, you are saying all this in Parliament, but you break all protocols to meet a Chinese delegation. What do you discuss with them? Such statements show there is a dearth of serious politicians,” he said. Gandhi made the remarks during the debate on Motion of Thanks to the Presidential address in the Lok Sabha on Feb 3.

With the government and the party facing criticism over the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act for which the BJP government has not yet framed the rules, Shah defended the law passed by Parliament in December 2019 and said the delay was only because of the Covid pandemic situation.

“As long as we are not free from Covid 19, this can’t be a priority. We have seen three waves. Thankfully, things are getting better, the third wave is receding. The decision is linked to the Covid situation. But there is no question of going back on it. The question does not arise,” he said. The CAA that seeks to provide citizenship to persecuted minorities like the Hindus Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis and Christians from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan had drawn criticism for “discrimination”on the basis of religion which violates the fundamental principles of Indian constitution.