NEW DELHI: Bihar minority affairs minister Zama Khan on Tuesday defended Chief Minister Nitish Kumar after a row erupted over an incident in which he was seen removing the hijab of a woman doctor during a public function.Addressing the issue, Khan said, “The CM is, perhaps, older than the father of the woman in question. I have a daughter, and I could sense the fatherly affection he had expressed.”The incident took place on Monday at the Chief Minister’s Secretariat during a program where appointment letters were distributed to newly recruited AYUSH doctors. More than 1,000 doctors were appointed at the event.
Nusrat Parveen, one of the appointees, stepped forward to receive her appointment letter directly from Kumar. While standing on a raised platform, the Chief Minister noticed Parveen’s veil, remarked, “what is this?” and pulled it down, revealing her face.Rejecting the criticism, Khan said, “Only recently has the NDA secured a landslide victory in assembly polls under his leadership. Those trying to create a scandal have a very twisted mindset.”He further said the Chief Minister’s actions were being wrongly interpreted. “The CM had simply tried to highlight the fact that girls of the minority community, too, are making progress in Bihar. But the mudslingers are causing embarrassment to the poor girl, too,” Khan said.The episode triggered sharp political reactions, with Nitish Kumar, the longest-serving Chief Minister of Bihar, also facing allegations questioning his mental fitness to govern the state.The Congress party strongly attacked the Chief Minister over what it termed a “disgusting act” and demanded his immediate resignation. In a statement, the party said, “If a person occupying the highest post in the state behaves in such a disgraceful manner in public, one can only imagine how safe women are in the state.”The program involved the distribution of appointment letters to 1,283 AYUSH doctors, including 685 Ayurvedic, 393 Homeopathic and 205 Unani practitioners. According to officials, the newly appointed doctors will be posted at various health institutions under AYUSH Medical Services and the National Health Mission.
