Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Saturday launched a sharp attack on the BJP and RSS over a "purification" ritual allegedly performed after Congress President
Mallikarjun Kharge's visit to the Ramlila Ground in Haldwani, Uttarakhand, calling it a criminal act under the SC/ST Act. He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi must order the registration of an FIR in the matter. "We are demanding justice for the Congress president. Give the Congress president justice in Uttarakhand. It is the duty of the central and state governments to ensure that Kharge gets justice," he said at a press conference in the national capital. "Kharge ji, who has dedicated his entire life to the country and the Constitution, goes to the Ramlila Ground in Haldwani to deliver a speech, and a purification ritual is performed there. Who does this? It is the people from the BJP and RSS. Only BJP and RSS members do this, and it is a crime under the Indian Constitution. 'Purification' is actually just another name for untouchability. Untouchability was outlawed, yet BJP members practice it openly," Gandhi said. "When they perform this purification, they are effectively saying that Dalits should not be touched, that Dalits are unclean... This act violates the SC/ST Act. Yet, no action has been taken. Therefore, we demand that an FIR be registered immediately against those who carried out this purification ritual in Uttarakhand," he added. The Congress leader framed the episode as part of a larger ideological battle in the country. "A fight is underway in the country between two ideologies. On one side is the Constitution of India... On the other is the ideology of the BJP and RSS," Gandhi said. "For thousands of years, Dalits in this country have been subjected to atrocities and violence. While the Constitution made this illegal, even today, Dalit children in schools are made to clean toilets and sweep and mop floors. Just think about the impact this has on the minds of the future generation: children see some of their peers sweeping, while those doing the sweeping see others who do not have to do so. This is the reality of India," Gandhi said. Speaking on caste-based discrimination, the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha said, "Dalits are not allowed to drink water from the village well; they have had to dig their own private wells because they were barred from using the common village well. At tea stalls, you see two types of cups in use: a reusable glass cup that can be washed, and a paper or plastic cup that is discarded after use. The plastic or paper cups are for Dalits, while the glass ones are for others... This is the reality of India. This is the reality of Uttar Pradesh, the reality of North India, and you can see this in cities and villages." The row stems from a Congress rally held at Haldwani's Ramlila Maidan on August 8 by Mallikarjun Kharge. The Congress chief alleged that BJP carried out a 'Shuddhikaran' (purification) ritual of the stage, where he had addressed a rally. Kharge said in Rajya Sabha, "It pains me to say that I had delivered a speech at the Ramlila Maidan in Haldwani, where lakhs of people were present. I did not mention the name of any community or religion there; I only spoke about the problems faced by the people." "But after my speech, people associated with the BJP carried out a 'purification' ritual of that stage. You may have read about this in the newspapers. Is this the way things should happen in a democracy? How are you protecting the Constitution?" Kharge alleged. Replying to this, Leader of the House JP Nadda condemned the alleged incident while asserting that the BJP does not subscribe to such activities. Nadda also said that the BJP will surely investigate the allegations. "What Kharge ji has said is truly a matter of concern--not just for the Congress party, but for all of us. Kharge ji has said that those who did this were BJP people. I want to make it absolutely clear that the BJP does not subscribe to such activities. However, since you have raised the issue, we will have it investigated. But let me reiterate that the BJP does not support or endorse such activities. It is a matter of regret for all of us," the BJP leader emphasised. Meanwhile, LoP Kharge again stood up and said that he does not want to turn the incident into a political issue.
