On 16 March, Islamic organisation Imarat-e-Shariah called for a statewide bandh in Karnataka to protest the Karnataka High Court verdict banning hijab in educational institutions in the state. The bandh call gathered a lukewarm response, with just one political outfit – Social Democratic Party of India – offering its support.
While the High Court order is expected to affect educational prospects of several Muslim women students of the state, as they are left to choose between the hijab and their education, the Opposition in Karnataka – Indian National Congress and Janata Dal (Secular) – has maintained a studied silence. Why?
The hijab controversy has resulted in further consolidation of support for Hindu rightwing organisations that power the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in coastal Karnataka, senior leaders of the parties said. Moreover, both the Congress and JD(S) are keeping a close watch on the rise of SDPI and its parent outfit – Popular Front of India (PFI) – in the region.
Hijab and BJP-Congress-SDPI Presence in Coastal Karnataka
Two months before Hindu students staged massive protests against hijab in Karnataka, in December 2021, urban local body polls to 58 seats in parts of coastal Karnataka revealed a curious trend. SDPI won three seats in Kaup, a locality in Udupi district. Udupi has been the ground zero for hijab protests by Muslim students and saffron shawl protests by Hindu students.
While the BJP has been vocally criticising SDPI, calling its mother organisation, PFI, a "terrorist outfit," the Congress leadership told The Quint that the SDPI, which entered electoral process only in 2010, has been a growing threat for the grand old party in the coastal region. "In Kaup, where it won three seats, SDPI positioned itself against the Congress. We cannot unconditionally support campaigns which further strengthen their base and that of the BJP," a senior leader of the Congress said.
PFI's student outfit Campus Front of India (CFI) has been at the forefront of Muslim women's fight for hijab.
Six women students of Government PU College for Girls, Udupi, who approached the Karnataka High Court in January seeking permission to wear hijab to their classes, have said that they took the support of CFI in their fight for hijab.
In Karnataka, SDPI has around 100 seats in the local bodies. In 2013, the party which fielded candidates in an alliance with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) in 28 Assembly seats, gave a tough fight to Congress candidates in two seats – Narasimharaja in Mysore and Sarvagnanagar in Bengaluru. In Narasimharaja, the Congress candidate won by a slim margin of 8,370 votes against the SDPI candidate who got 29,667 votes. In Sarvgnanagar, SDPI came third, pushing JD(S) to the fourth position.
Meanwhile, SDPI's rise and the hijab protests have given a fillip to the ruling BJP.
'Advantage BJP': Congress, JD(S) Stay Away from Hijab Row
In the 2018 Legislative Assembly elections, BJP won 28 out of 33 Assembly seats in coastal Karnataka. This was over double the number of seats (10) which the party had won in 2013 Assembly elections.
The Congress and JD(S), on the other hand, managed to win just 5 seats in 2018, a drastic drop from 23 seats they won in 2013.
In the 2023 Assembly elections, the Congress will looksto win back coastal seats. However, the row over hijab has given an advantage to the BJP, with Hindu rightwing outfits including the Bajrang Dal and Hindu Jagaran Vedike, affiliated to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), managing to mobilise Hindus to oppose hijab.
"Both the Bajrang Dal and the RSS have gathered support for opposing hijab in educational institutions. Among Hindu youth, they managed to get the support of students who were till recently staying away from political debates," an Udupi-based Congress leader said. A communally charged political environment will not work in the Congress' favour, he added.
For the JD(S), rise of the BJP in 2018 was fatal.
"The party won no seats out of 33 Assembly seats in the coast. If mobilisation for BJP continues, even as the Supreme Court hears appeals of Muslim students, we will continue to feel threatened," a JD(S) functionary of Dakshin Kannada district said.
Keeping electoral calculations in mind, in February this year, the Congress took a week to come out in support of hijabi students. While Congress leader Siddaramaiah issued statements in support of Muslim students' "constitutional" right to wear hijab, party stalwart DK Shivakumar maintained that the courts could help Muslim students.
However, following the High Court verdict, which held that hijab is a not an essential religious practice, both Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar have been silent. Congress spokesperson Shama Mohammed, was the only senior leader of the party to issue a statement in support of Muslim students. JD(S)'s Kumaraswamy who wanted the BJP to "end hijab row" in February, has also been silent over the HC verdict.
A Catch-22: Justice vs Electoral Win
While both Congress and JD(S) are at an electoral disadvantage on account of hijab row, ground-level workers of the parties have been rallying behind Muslim women.
In Udupi, for instance, Congress youth leaders and senior leaders have been organising meetings to support Muslim students who are being disallowed from wearing hijab.
"This is a matter of their constitutional right to religious practice. For electoral gain, we cannot remain mute spectators on ground. We have been supporting Muslim women in their fight for justice," said a senior Congress leader of Udupi. In Kalaburagi district, Congress leadership organised mass gatherings in February to support hijabi women.
The silence of the state leadership, however, could affect Congress' prospects among Muslim voters. Meanwhile, Congress' local support for Muslim women could antagonise communally-charged Hindu voters. A catch-22 for the party.
The Udupi Congress leader said, "It is a difficult situation. But we hope the voters reject the BJP's communal agenda and rally behind us." JD(S)'s local leadership in coastal Karnataka, meanwhile, has largely been silent over the matter. "It is better to let the state leadership take a stand. We have a lot to lose on ground," the leader from Dakshina Kannada said.
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