Mayawati flags Bihar ‘naqab’ row; says CM Nitish should express regret, end controversy

LUCKNOW: Wading into the Nitish Kumar ‘naqab’ controversy, BSP supremo Mayawati on Saturday raised concerns over the Bihar chief minister recently pulling off the veil from a woman doctor’s face, saying the JD-U chief should express regret and make effort to end the “bitterly growing controversy”.The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister also flagged concerns over a controversial police parade incident in Bahraich, which she described as a failure of legislative sessions in the state and Parliament.In a long Hindi post on X, Mayawati said the ‘naqqab’ controversy was “sad and unfortunate”, which continued to escalate due to some statements made by ministers subsequently.The incident, a video clip of which has been circulated widely, took place on Monday at the chief minister’s secretariat in Patna, where Ayush doctors gathered to receive their letters of appointment.When the woman came up for her letter, Kumar saw her ‘naqab’, said “what is this” and then removed the veil, prompting the opposition parties to demand an unconditional apology from the chief minister.Mayawati said the matter, which is linked to women’s safety and dignity, should have been resolved through the chief minister’s direct intervention.”It would be better if the chief minister views the incident in the right perspective, expresses regret and makes an effort to end this bitterly growing controversy,” she said.Referring to Uttar Pradesh, Mayawati said the Bahraich district police, drawing criticism for deviating from the established rules by offering a salute to a religious preacher during a police parade, triggered a major controversy, putting the state government “in the dock”.”Police parades and salutes have their own traditions, discipline and sanctity, which should not be tampered with,” she said, adding that it was a positive step that the state’s police chief sought an explanation from the district police chief.”People are now waiting for action,” she said, urging the state government to take the matter seriously to prevent a recurrence.



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