According to former Karnataka chief minister and Congress leader Siddaramaiah, the move to bar Muslim students wearing headscarves or hijabs from entering pre-university institutes in the Udupi district of the state is an attempt to deny the girls their fundamental right to education opportunities.

"This is an attempt to prevent Muslim female students from obtaining an education. The headscarf is considered to be a vital part of the religion. This is quite damaging. Uniforms are not required at this time. As a result, "the principals are doing this, which is inhuman," claimed a former Congress politician in Karnataka, making the first public comments on the matter from the opposition.

“The government has not stated anywhere that there should be uniforms for pre-university students. Now there is an issue being created at a college in Kundapur. A principal of a college has shut the gates and prohibited the girl students from entering. It is a government college. It is a violation of the fundamental rights of the students,” the former chief minister remarked.

“The BJP is making an issue of it by seeking the right to wear saffron shawls. They are doing it purposely. Why have they not done it before? This is a fundamental right under the constitution to practice your religion. It has been continuing for many years,” Siddaramaiah stated.

The former CM added that the matter is in court at present and the judgment should be awaited by all.

“The MLA in Udupi has been stating that they should not come with headscarves and the principal has promptly acted on it. The principals are being paid with taxpayers' money and they are preventing students from entering the campus,” he stated.

The former CM said the demand for allowing Hindu boys to attend college with saffron shawls if Muslim girls are allowed with Hijabs is an attempt to politicize the matter. “What is the objective of wearing saffron shawls, did they wear it earlier, is it part of the custom?” the former CM questioned.

Siddaramaiah remarked that students were being permitted to wear Hijabs in classrooms earlier in Udupi. “It is not true that they used to remove it earlier,” he remarked.

The deputy leader of the Congress in the legislative assembly UT Khader said Muslim girl students should be allowed to attend classes wearing the hijab if they wished to do so and that universities should decide on permitting saffron scarves for Hindu pupils. “The education of the students must not suffer owing to this issue being raised now,” Khader stated.

According to Education Minister BC Nagesh, who spoke on Friday, government colleges would fully follow to the uniform circular that was just issued out by the Education Department. In order to ensure that students dress appropriately, we have sent circulars to all of the PU colleges. If they do not meet the requirements, they will not be admitted into the colleges, and all of our college administrators are following the rules. In addition, the subject will be before the court, and we will be waiting for the court's decision," Nagesh explained. In his statement, Nagesh said that the hijab topic has only recently risen to the front as a result of student protests.

On Thursday, Home Minister Araga Jnanendra stated that students should respect to the dress codes established by their school and college administrations and should avoid from wearing the hijab or saffron shawls on college campuses. In response to the hijab controversy, V Sunil Kumar, the minister for Kannada and Culture, said that Muslim female students are converting Udupi and Karnataka into Taliban territory.

"We will not allow them to establish a Taliban stronghold in the coastline region." "This incident is being organized by unseen forces," he claimed.