Harsimrat urges PM to discuss turban laws with French president
What's the story
Union minister for food processing Harsimrat Kaur Badal urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss raise with French President Emmanuel Macron the issue of a law in France that asked Sikh community to remove their turbans while being photographed for all official identification.
This issue was very important as nowhere else in the world Sikhs were subjected to this kind of discrimination, she said.
Shame
No-turban law cause severe humiliation to Sikh community: Badal
Harsimrat, in a letter to PM, said she had received repeated requests from the Sikh community settled in France as well as the Counseil Representatif des Sikhs de France that a law which required removal of turbans while being photographed for passport, ID card, health card, transport card, driving licence or any other identification issued by the French administration was causing them severe "humiliation".
Important
Turban was an integral part of Sikh identity: Badal
Stating that the law was in a violation of Sikh tenets, Harsimrat Kaur, who is also the SAD MP from Bathinda, said Sikh community was confident that this issue could be addressed under the leadership of Modi.
Asserting that the turban was an integral part of the Sikh identity, Badal said there was a need to sensitize the French government about the Sikh culture.