Gandhi said the act was a crime under the Constitution and targeted Dalits while demanding legal action. The BJP has denied involvement, with Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami rejecting it publicly. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday accused the BJP and RSS of promoting untouchability after a purification ritual was held at Haldwani’s Ramlila Maidan following Mallikarjun Kharge’s rally.
Kharge addressed a Congress rally at Ramlila Maidan in Haldwani on August 8, ahead of the 2027 Uttarakhand Assembly elections. Because he is a Dalit, congress leaders said the ceremony was aimed at Kharge.
Addressing a press conference in Delhi, Gandhi said the controversy reflected a wider political and ideological contest between the Constitution and the ideology of the BJP and RSS. Referring to the ritual at the Haldwani venue, Gandhi said, “Our CLP leader in Rajasthan visits a temple, and BJP leaders perform a ‘purification’ ritual. Gandhi said the ritual conveyed that Dalits were being treated as “unclean” and should not be touched. Two days later, members of the Shri Ram Sena reportedly conducted a “shuddhikaran” havan at the venue. The BJP has denied involvement in the ritual and said the ceremony was a customary religious practice that was not linked to Kharge’s visit. BJP president JP Nadda also said the party did not associate itself with such an act and described the incident as unfortunate. He said, “A few organisations protested there over the hurting of religious sentiments; the Congress party attempted to give it a Dalit angle. He described Kharge as a “highly respectable national leader” and said his insult was “unthinkable”. Kharge has said he did not mention any community or religion during his speech. He later said he did not want the matter to be politicised but demanded strict legal action against those responsible.
Congress President 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. The Congress has alleged that the ritual was linked to Kharge’s Dalit identity. Dhami has also rejected the Congress allegation.
Kharge had earlier raised the issue in the Rajya Sabha and questioned why a purification ceremony was needed after his speech.
