Veiled women barred from Modi function?
Govt dismisses Kerala MP’s charge
Tempers rose between Kerala MPs and treasury benches in Lok Sabha after Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) MP E.T. Mohammed Basheer on Thursday claimed that three women village heads (sarpanch) from Kerala were allegedly stopped from attending Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s event at Gandhinagar for wearing hijab (veil).
Minorities affairs minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and rural development minister Narendra Tomar later refuted the MP’s claims, saying that no such incident took place.
Raising the issue during Zero Hour in the Lok Sabha, Mr Basheer said three women sarpanches from Kerala had gone to Gandhinagar to attend the Swachh Shakti 2017 — a Convention of Women Sarpanches which was addressed by Mr Modi in Gandhinagar on Wednesday. Women
sarpanches from across the country had been invited for the event. Mr Basheer said the three women were first stopped as they were wearing the hijab, but after engaging in an argument with security personnel, they were allowed to attend the event but only on the condition that they have to remove their hijab.
He said the women protested against the move and were let in on the condition that they would sit in the last row.
“It took 45 minutes for these women to get into the venue. The PM should apologise to the nation,” the Kerala MP claimed.
Mr Naqvi denied any such incident saying it is “contrary to facts” and the government does “differentiate anyone on the lines of caste, creed or religion.”
Government does ‘differentiate anyone on the lines of caste, creed or religion,’ claimed Naqvi