Mayawati flags Bihar 'naqab' row, says Nitish should express regret and end controversy

LUcknow, Wading into the Nitish Kumar 'naqab' contention, BSP supremo Mayawati on sat raised concerns o'er the Bihar chief government minister latterly 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.Mayawati also criticised the “brief” Winter Session of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly, which began on December 19, saying it had, like previous sessions, been “confined to debates between the ruling party and the opposition” instead of focusing on issues of public interest and welfare.She said the government should have responded more seriously to matters such as fertiliser shortages faced by the farmers and other public welfare concerns.The BSP chief also took a swipe at the Winter Session of Parliament, which concluded on Friday, alleging that it ended without any meaningful discussions on the pressing national issues, including the severe air pollution in Delhi.“The entire country was hoping for deliberations on the burning national problems that could have offered some ray of hope but that did not happen, which is unfortunate,” she said.Mayawati also expressed concern over the rapidly deteriorating situation in Bangladesh and what she termed a rise in “anti-India activities”, similar to Nepal.She urged the Centre to take cognisance of the developments and respond with a long-term policy approach.Bangladesh has been on the boil this week after the killing of Sharif Osman Hadi, a prominent youth leader of the July Uprising of 2024, sparking violent protests and arson in the neighbouring country.This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.