Giriraj Singh’s ‘can go to hell’ remark on hijab incident involving Nitish sparks row

Union Minister Giriraj Singh on Thursday (December 18) courted controversy, saying that the woman whose hijab was pulled off from her face by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar “can refuse or go to hell”.

The Union Minister made the controversial remarks when asked by reporters what if the woman refused to show her face to Nitish.

‘Nitish acted as a guardian’

Singh, in response to the question, shot off a barrage of counter questions, including whether anyone receiving an appointment letter or a passport should show his or her face, adding that in India, only Indian laws will prevail. The BJP leader reiterated his earlier stand that Nitish has not done anything wrong.

Also Read: Bihar minister defends Nitish Kumar’s hijab act as ‘fatherly affection’

"If anyone goes to take an appointment letter, should they not show their face? Is this an Islamic nation? Nitish ji was acting as a guardian... If you go to take your passport or go to the airport, do you not show your face? You talk about Pakistan and 'Englishtan'. This is India, and only Indian laws will work here. Nitish Kumar did nothing wrong," Singh told reporters as quoted by NDTV.

“She can refuse or go to hell,” he added.

PDP leader’s ‘phenyl’ jibe

Singh’s comment triggered a severe backlash from both the political and cultural sphere with PDP's Iltija Mufti, daughter of J&K's former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, slamming him, saying that his “filthy mouth” can only be cleaned by phenyl.

“Only phenyl will work to clean this man’s filthy mouth. You dare not touch the hijabs & naqabs of our Muslim mothers & sisters. Otherwise we Muslim women will set you right by teaching you a lesson you & your ilk will remember for all times to come,” she stated in a post on X.

Javed Akhtar demands Nitish’s apology

Lyricist Javed Akhtar also slammed Nitish for the act and demanded an unconditional apology from him.

“Everyone who knows me, even in the most cursory manner, knows how much I am against the traditional concept of Parda, but it doesn’t mean that by any stretch of imagination I can accept what Mr Nitish Kumar has done to a Muslim lady doctor. I condemn it in very strong words. Mr Nitish Kumar owes an unconditional apology to the lady,” stated Akhtar in a post on X.

Omar slams Nitish

Earlier, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday lashed out at Nitish, saying, "Nitish Kumar, who was once considered a secular leader, may be slowly showing his true colours.”

Also Read: Nitish Kumar retains Civil Aviation as Bihar creates three new departments

"We have seen this kind of incident here several years ago. Have you forgotten how Mehbooba Mufti removed the burqa of a legitimate voter inside a polling station? That act was wrong, and this act (of Kumar) is also wrong,” he said.

"If the (Bihar) chief minister did not want to hand over the order to her (Muslim woman), they could have kept her aside. However, to humiliate her like this is totally wrong," added the Chief Minister.

(With agency inputs)