New Delhi, Dec. 17 -- Uttar Pradesh minister Sanjay Nishad has sparked a controversy with his remarks defending Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar over the removal of hijab of a women at a public event in Patna row.

Speaking to local news channel Bharat Samachar, Nishad claimed that Nitish Kumar pulled the woman's hijab to verify whether the appointment letter was being handed to the correct person. He questioned how the incident would have been perceived had the Bihar Chief Minister "touched" her anywhere else.

"Hijab kheench nahi rahe hain, hata rahe hain, yeh jaanchne ke liye ki sahi vyakti ko niyukti patra diya ja raha hai. is par logon ko ho-halla nahi karna chahiye. Arey, woh bhi toh aadmi hain na, peeche nahi padna chahiye. naqab ...