Chief of appeasement: Nitish faces BJP's ire over 2024 holiday calendar

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday came down heavily on the Nitish Kumar-led Bihar government allegedly over its decision to curtail holidays for state schools during Hindu festivals and increase them for Muslim festivals, for 2024. 

Referring to the Bihar Chief Minister as ‘chief of appeasement,' Union Minister Ashwini Choubey said that the ‘anti-Hindu face’ of the INDI Alliance has again come to the fore. He alleged that the Kumar-led Bihar government ‘hates Sanatan for vote bank.’ 

“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,” Choubey said in a social media post on X. 

“Shame on the government that hates Sanatan for vote bank," the post added. 

The Bihar education department on Monday released the 2024 holiday calendar, emphasising its commitment to providing a minimum of 220 teaching days as mandated by the Right to Education. Notably, the holiday schedule for 2024 has undergone significant adjustments, notably extending the summer vacation period from 20 to 30 days.

The holidays for Hartalika Teej and Jitiya have been abolished, while the education department has extended the holidays for Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha (Bakrid) to three days each.

‘Islamic Republic of Bihar’ 

In response to the decision to compromise holidays for Hindu festivals, firebrand BJP leader and Union Minister Giriraj Singh unleashed a sharp attack on the Nitish Kumar-led state government, calling the state the ‘Islamic Republic of Bihar.’  

“Nitish and Lalu's government increased holidays for Muslim festivals in schools, ended holidays for Hindu festivals,” he wrote on X in Hindi.

Earlier this year, a similar controversy unfolded when the government issued an order on August 29, to reduce the number of holidays for the state's schools from 22 to 8 over the next five months. However, in the face of substantial opposition, the order was subsequently withdrawn.

In a notification, the director of secondary education said, “The August 29 order comprising holiday list in government primary, middle and secondary schools is cancelled with immediate effect.”