The BJP on Monday asserted that its Madurai-based election agent had only urged that a hijab-clad woman voter be identified by looking at her face and never sought removal of the veil. The party would approach court against the Tamil Nadu State Election Commission for contempt since the action against the BJP agent on this matter violated a Supreme Court ruling in 2010 which outlined norms on voter identification in a polling station.
The action against the BJP agent was based on false and distorted claims, the party said. BJP Tamil Nadu unit president, K Annamalai, speaking to reporters here said the ruling DMK wanted to politicise the matter only to divert attention from poll-related violence and other aspects like 'false voting'.
Hence, the BJP leader said the ruling party claimed falsely that the BJP agent wanted the woman voter to remove her headscarf. "Our election agent only said that the face has to be seen for identification. He never sought removal of hijab," he said.
Urban civic polls were held on February 19 in Tamil Nadu and a row erupted on the hijab matter which involved a BJP poll agent. Annamalai dared the TNSEC to release the 25-minute CCTV camera footage from the (Melur, Madurai district) polling station that captured the conversations in this regard.
It would prove whether the BJP agent sought identification of the voter or removal of hijab, the saffron party leader said. His party respected the rights of Muslim women to wear hijab and also supported it, Annamalai said. The TN BJP chief said the hijab-clad woman voter cast her vote and left the place following identification.
However, a group of DMK men and others arrived at the booth in Madurai district about 15 minutes later and they distorted the BJP agent's version. They falsely claimed that the saffron party poll agent wanted removal of hijab. This was done only to divert attention from poll-related violence unleashed by the DMK, he alleged.
It was to deflect attention from distribution of cash, unruly acts, intimidation and polling of false votes by the ruling party people, the BJP leader claimed. A case was booked against the Madurai district based BJP election agent and he was arrested by police on February 19 in connection with the hijab row.
Annamalai said BJP workers and functionaries were assaulted by DMK members in several places including Madurai, Tiruvannamalai and Kanyakumari and many of them have been hospitalised across the state. In Coimbatore and Chennai, violence was unleashed more, he alleged. The TN BJP chief also played a video on a screen in the state party headquarters here, seeking to substantiate his allegations. The party would approach court on poll-related incidents, he said.
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