Javed Akhtar hits out at Shiv Sena: If you want burqa ban, prohibit ghunghat too

Lyricist and screenwriter Javed Akhtar today said he is not averse to enacting a law banning the burqa (veil worn by Muslim women) if it is accompanied with a similar action against the "ghunghat" (veil worn by Hindu women) system prevalent among women in Rajasthan.

Javed Akhtar's comment came in the wake of the Shiv Sena mouthpiece on Wednesday urging the Narendra Modi government to emulate Sri Lanka in banning the burqa on grounds of national security.

"If you want to bring a law banning burqa here (in India) and if it is someones view I have no objection. But before the last phase of election in Rajasthan, this government should announce a ban on the practice of 'ghunghat' (covering of the face by Hindu women) in that state," Mr Akhtar said.

"I feel that ghunghat should go and the burqa should go. I will be happy," he added.

The Bollywood veteran said: "I have little knowledge of the burqa as there were working women in my family and I haven't seen the practice at my home."

"Iraq is a very orthodox Muslim country but the women there do not cover their faces. The law in Sri Lanka (now), too, forbids face cover," he said.

As the editorial created a flutter and drew sharp reaction from various quarters, a senior Sena leader said the editorial was not the official stand of the party.

Sri Lanka's decision to ban burqa came in the wake of the Easter Sunday terror attacks that killed over 250 people.

-PTI