UP Minister Sanjay Nishad Sparks Outrage Over 'Misogynistic' Remarks On Nitish Hijab Row, Clarifies Later

(MENAFN- Live Mint) Uttar Pradesh minister Sanjay Nishad has sparked a controversy with his remarks defending Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar over the removal of hijab of a women at a public event in Patna row.

Speaking to local news channel Bharat Samachar, Nishad claimed that Nitish Kumar pulled the woman's hijab to verify whether the appointment letter was being handed to the correct person. He questioned how the incident would have been perceived had the Bihar Chief Minister“touched” her anywhere else.

Also Read | Opposition slams Nitish Kumar over 'hijab-pulling' viral video

“Hijab kheench nahi rahe hain, hata rahe hain, yeh jaanchne ke liye ki sahi vyakti ko niyukti patra diya ja raha hai... is par logon ko ho-halla nahi karna chahiye. Arey, woh bhi toh aadmi hain na, peeche nahi padna chahiye... naqab chhoo diya toh itna ho gaya... kahin aur chhoo dete toh kya ho jaata,” the minister is heard saying.

The remarks loosely translate to --“he is not pulling the hijab, he is removing it to verify whether the appointment letter is being given to the correct person... people should not make a hue and cry over this. After all, he is also a human being, one should not hound him... just touching the veil caused such an uproar... what would have happened if something else had been touched?”

Nishad, the minister of fisheries, has been serving as a cabinet minister in the second Yogi Adityanath government. He has been a member of Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council since 2021. As a member of the Nishad caste, he founded the NISHAD Party in 2016.

The minister is seen smiling while making these comments during the interview.

Vile, absurd, and misogynistic mindset: Supriya

Nitish Kumar had stoked a political row after he was seen in a video, pulling down the hijab from a woman's face during a government event in Patna. The opposition condemned the act calling it nothing but public harassment of a woman by the elected Chief Minister.

The viral video involving the 74-year-old chief minister was from an event where Nitish Kumar handed over certificates to AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, and Homeopathy) doctors. Kumar is seen asking newly recruited AYUSH doctor to remove her hijab and eventually pulls it down, according to news agency PTI.

Also Read | Tejashwi Yadav's first reaction to Nitish Kumar after losing Bihar elections

Nishad's comments evoked a sharp reaction has come from Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate“These shameless words are being said with a laugh by UP government minister Sanjay Nishad. The manner and the sly laughter with which he is saying this shows his vile, absurd, and misogynistic mindset," Shrinate said in a post on X.

'Sanjay Nishad Clarifies: There was no ill intention'

Nishad, however, clarified his statement later. "The statement over which a controversy is being created today was said by me, smiling, casually, and in my local Bhojpuri dialect. There was no ill intention towards any community, any woman, or any religion, nor was there any intent to insult," he told PTI.

The complaint has been lodged at the Kaiserbagh Police Station in Lucknow against Nitish Kumar and Sanjay Nishad in connection with the viral hijab video row.

The complaint was submitted by Samajwadi Party leader Sumaiya Rana, accompanied by her lawyers, seeking the registration of an FIR and strict legal action against the two leaders.

"A video of Bihar CM Nitish Kumar is going viral on social media in which he is seen pulling down a woman's hijab... For a person holding a constitutional position to behave in this manner means he is encouraging his other workers to engage in similar acts," Rana told news agency ANI.

These shameless words are being said with a laugh by UP government minister Sanjay Nishad. The manner and the sly laughter with which he is saying this shows his vile, absurd, and misogynistic mindset.

Advocate Misham Zaidi, who accompanied Rana, said the incident and the subsequent remarks attract serious penal provisions. "He has hurt the modesty of a woman. What Sanjay Nishad has done incites religious sentiments. This is a clear-cut case under Section 153A, as you are knowingly engaging in such acts that could instigate riots, create unrest, and disturb the law and order of the state," he said.

(With agency inputs)

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