New Delhi, Aug 31: Congress on Monday trained guns at the BJP after case was registered against Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi for raising the issue of ‘purification’ ritual row of the venue where party chief Mallikarjun Kharge addressed a public meeting.
Several of the Congress leaders slammed the BJP saying that it amounts to the pot calling the kettle black.
Uttarakhand Congress in-charge Kumari Selja on Monday afternoon first met Kharge at his residence to decide on the party’s plan to file police complaint against the people involved in purification ritual and also on BJP Uttarakhand chief Mahendra Bhatt.
She then took to X and wrote, “No action against those who conducted the ‘purification’ ritual after Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge ji’s public meeting, but an FIR against Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi ji for raising his voice against that casteist act. Is this the justice of the BJP government?”
“First, the ‘purification’ was carried out. Then, the Uttarakhand BJP President openly defended it. And now, when Shri Rahul Gandhi ji demanded legal action against the culprits, the BJP government in Uttarakhand has instead filed a case against him,” she added.
She described it as an example of the BJP-RSS’s “anti-Dalit and anti-Constitution mindset”.
Selja said, “Rahul Gandhi ji raised the same question that Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge ji himself had already raised in Parliament: that this act of ‘purification’ made him feel the sting of untouchability and humiliated him. But look at the BJP government’s approach. Raise questions about those who conducted the ‘purification’–FIR. Talk about Dalit dignity–FIR. Raise your voice for the Constitution–FIR.”
Questioning Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s silence on the issue, Selja said, “Why is the Prime Minister silent on this entire matter? The BJP-RSS should dispel this illusion that the fear of cases will make Rahul Gandhi ji or the Congress back down. This is the Gandhi family, which has a history of sacrifice and dedication for the country. Neither FIRs nor the pressure of power can intimidate or silence this voice. The
Congress will give a fitting response to this through democratic and legal means.”
“The fight against the casteist mentality behind the ‘purification’–and for the protection of Dalit dignity and the Constitution–will be waged with full force,” she added.
Meanwhile, Uttarakhand Congress leaders also announced visited several of the police stations in the state to file counter FIR against the people carrying out purification ritual in Haldwani and also against Bhatt.
Even Congress General Secretary and Communication in-charge Jairam Ramesh slammed the government and said, “Rahul Gandhi ji raised the issue of injustice, humiliation, and discrimination faced by Dalits in his press conference, and the BJP-RSS took less than 24 hours to prove him right.”
Ramesh said that he (Rahul Gandhi) highlighted the issue of untouchability and humiliation carried out in the name of “purification” after the rally of Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge Ji in Uttarakhand, and demanded action against the BJP workers involved in it.
“But this did not sit well with the BJP-RSS’s double-engine government in Uttarakhand. That’s why, even today, no action has been taken against the accused, but an FIR was filed against Rahul Gandhi ji, who is demanding justice, the very next day,” he said, adding, “This is the very mindset against which Baba Saheb’s Constitution stands as the greatest wall. That’s why the Constitution irks them; that’s why they want to change it.”
“But all this is an attempt to distract and suppress voices. Action must be taken against those who committed untouchability and humiliation against Kharge Ji in the name of “purification.” Nothing less than justice will do,” he added.
Even Delhi Congress chief Devendra Yadav announced that party workers will hold protest demonstrations in every district of Delhi on Tuesday against the FIR on Rahul Gandhi.
Congress leaders’ reactions came after Haldwani City Kotwali Police registered an FIR against Rahul Gandhi over his statements regarding the ‘shuddhikaran yajna’ (purification ritual) conducted at the venue where Kharge addressed a Congress rally on August 8.
The FIR was registered on August 30 on a complaint by Amit Kumar, a member of the Valmiki community, who alleged that Rahul Gandhi’s remarks hurt the sentiments of the Scheduled Caste community. Police invoked provisions of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, including Sections 3(1) (r) and 3(1)(u), along with Section 196 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023.
Earlier, Rahul Gandhi had described the purification ritual as “another name for untouchability” and demanded an FIR against those involved, alleging that the act violated constitutional values.
“This act violates the SC/ST Act. Performing a ‘purification’ ritual is a crime. 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,” Gandhi had said.
The controversy began after a Congress rally at Ramlila Ground in Haldwani on August 8, ahead of the 2027 Uttarakhand Assembly elections. Members of a right-wing group later conducted a ‘shuddhikaran’ ritual at the venue, triggering criticism from Congress leaders.
Kharge had raised the matter in the Rajya Sabha, alleging that the ritual was linked to his identity as a Dalit leader and questioning whether such practices were acceptable in a democracy.
Meanwhile, BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi rejected the allegations, saying there was “no caste angle” in the incident and accusing Congress of trying to create divisions in Hindu society.
