The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has accused the Bihar government, headed by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, of displaying a perceived bias in assigning holidays for schools in the state. The BJP alleges that the government has reduced 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.”

The post added, “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.”

Speaking to ANI, BJP MP Sushil Modi also criticized 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.”

As reported by ANI, Minister of Panchayati Raj Giriraj Singh claimed that Nitish Kumar has issued a "Tughlak farman" for the third time. 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 statements from BJP leaders follow the release of the Bihar education department's holiday calendar for 2024, aimed at ensuring a minimum of 220 teaching days under the Right to Education. Changes reportedly include an increase in summer vacation days from 20 to 30.

Notably, the calendar eliminates holidays for Hindu festivals like Hartalika Teej and Jitiya, while extending holidays for Muslim festivals such as Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha (Bakrid) to three days each. The Bihar government has not yet responded to these allegations.

Image source: Financial Express