BJP accuses Nitish of appeasement over new Holiday calendar, JDU says BJP raising a non-issue
Nov 28, 2023
Patna (Bihar) [India], November 28 : An all-out war of words has broken out between the BJP and the ruling BJP-RJD in Bihar after the state government issued a new Holiday calendar for school. The BJP has accused the Bihar government of appeasment claiming that Muslim holidays have been increase while those on Hindu religious festivals have decreased.
"People say that in Bihar and UP, as the age increases, people become religious. Nitish Kumar is becoming religious but by turning religious towards other religions, He is forgetting the Hindu religion. Do one thing, get a resolution passed in the assembly that Bihar is going to be made an Islamic state and the first religion will be Islam and send it to the Centre," Ajay Alok BJP spokesperson said.
"You will cancel the holiday of Makar Sankranti, the whole of Bihar takes a bath in the Ganga here and offers worship to the Sun God. Will you cancel the Rakshabandhan holiday? People all over the country celebrate Rakshabandhan. You will cancel the Mahashivratri holiday, you will cancel the Janmashtami holiday, the limits have been crossed. Last time Nitish Kumar did the same thing by decreasing holidays on Hindu Festivals. Will you do appeasement politics for Islamic sycophancy?" added Ajay Alok.
The JDU however says the BJP has politicises a non-issue.
"The holidays of Shab-e-Barat have been reduced and there is no discussion over it...Maha Shivratri, Krishna Janmashtami, Basant Panchami, Holi and Dussehra holidays have been retained...The education department can only give an explanation as to why certain holidays were increased...Instead of looking at it through a political lens, BJP should give an opinion after the clarification from the education department" Neeraj Kumar JDU Spokesperson said.
Earlier several leaders of the BJP attacked Nitish Kumar on the issue. BJP MP Sushil Modi said that the decision showed that Nitish was Anti-Hindu.
"The Nitish Kumar-led Bihar government has shown an anti-Hindu face and taken a decision to hurt the sentiments of the Hindus...The holidays for Hindu festivals have been selectively slashed, while holidays for Muslim festivals have been increased" BJP MP Sushil Modi said.
Minister of Panchayati Raj Giriraj Singh claimed that Nitish Kumar has issued a "Tughlak farman" for the third time.
"The way Lalu Yadav and the Nitish government are attacking Hindus, in the future they will be known as Mohammad Nitish and Mohammad Lalu," he said in a video message posted on his social media platform X.
The Bihar education department on Monday issued the holiday calendar for 2024 and said the chart has been created to ensure at least 220 teaching days under the Right to Education. The holiday calendar for the year 2024 has seen wholesale change, with the number of summer vacation days increased from 20 to 30.