‘Hindu festivals selectively slashed’: BJP accuses Nitish Kumar govt of biased in allocation of school holidays

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday accused the Bihar government, led by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, of showing a perceived bias in the allocation of holidays for schools in the state. The BJP alleged that the government has decreased the number of holidays for Hindu festivals while increasing them for Muslim festivals.

Senior BJP leader Ashwini Kr Choubey took to social media platform X, calling Nitish Kumar the “master of appeasement politics.” He claimed that the government’s decisions reflect an anti-Hindu stance, alleging that the Bihar government “hates Sanatan for the vote bank.”

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“Once again, the anti-Hindu face of the uncle-nephew government came to the fore. On one hand, holidays for Muslim festivals are being extended in schools, while holidays for Hindu festivals are being abolished,” the post added.

Speaking to ANI, BJP MP Sushil Modi also criticised the Bihar government, stating, “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.”

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Minister of Panchayati Raj Giriraj Singh claimed that Nitish Kumar has issued a “Tughlak farman” for the third time, ANI reported.

In a video message shared on X, Singh remarked, “The way Lalu Yadav and the Nitish government are attacking Hindus, in the future they will be known as Mohammad Nitish and Mohammad Lalu.”

The BJP leaders’ statements come in response to the Bihar education department’s release of the holiday calendar for 2024, aiming to ensure a minimum of 220 teaching days under the Right to Education. The reported changes include an increase in summer vacation days from 20 to 30.

While the government has done away with holidays for Hindu festivals like Hartalika Teej and Jitiya, reports indicate an extension of holidays for Muslim festivals such as Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha (Bakrid) to three days each.

The Bihar government, as of now, has not provided an immediate response to these allegations.