'Where are we taking our India? Cannot lose our diversity': Oppn on Hijab row at LS

Opposition parties on Monday raised the ongoing Karnataka hijab issue at the Lok Sabha and said India cannot lose its diversity.

"Where are we taking our India? We cannot lose our diversity. I request the Education Minister to intervene in this matter to ensure the constitutional rights of the students," said TN Prathapan, Congress MP from Kerala at the lower House.

The 'hijab' (scarf) row in Karnataka intensified on Monday with some students seeking to defy the government order mandating uniform style of clothes as Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai issued an appeal to maintain peace. 

He also asked educational institutions to follow mandatory uniform rules issued by the government until the court's order comes out.  Asked why the row has refused to die down in the state, he said the issue is not limited to Karnataka as it has been discussed in a big way in Kerala and Maharashtra where the matter was decided by the respective high courts.

Education Minister B C Nagesh had said students who insist on hijab-wearing will not be allowed into the government educational institutions. Then, he asked some students protesting on the street outside the college to sit in a separate room but they were not imparted lessons.