New Delhi, 13 August (H.S.):

The Congress has sought answers from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami over an alleged “purification” ritual conducted at the Ramlila Maidan in Haldwani following a rally addressed by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge. Uttarakhand Congress in-charge Kumari Selja alleged that the incident reflected an anti-Dalit mindset within the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and expressed concern that no First Information Report (FIR) had been registered so far. She demanded action against those responsible for organising the alleged purification ceremony.

Addressing a press conference at the party headquarters, Selja said the Uttarakhand elections were approaching and alleged that the BJP resorted to such “mischief” during election periods. She claimed that when the BJP itself did not undertake such activities, it allegedly used its “fringe elements” to bring its mindset to the fore.

She said Rahul Gandhi's “Students Ki Goonj” programme in Dehradun had also been targeted by the BJP in an alleged attempt to disrupt it, but the effort had failed. Similarly, she claimed that attempts were made to stop Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge's rally in Haldwani, but the event was successfully held.

Selja said Kharge had addressed the rally at Haldwani's Ramlila Maidan and that the same venue was subsequently subjected to a purported purification ritual. She described the incident as evidence of what she called the BJP's anti-Dalit outlook. She said no action had been taken and no FIR had been registered in the matter so far, and demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami respond to the issue.

Uttarakhand Congress president Ganesh Godiyal also condemned the Haldwani incident, saying that what happened at the venue reflected what he described as the BJP's mindset. He said the stage from which Kharge had addressed the gathering was subsequently subjected to a purification ritual.

Godiyal said the Congress opposed the incident and had directed all organisations associated with the party to strongly protest against such sentiments. Addressing members of the Scheduled Caste community, he said they had witnessed what he described as the alleged hatred within the BJP and urged them not to support such acts of humiliation.

Yashpal Arya, Leader of the Congress Legislature Party in the Uttarakhand Assembly, said the manner in which a havan was conducted at the Ramlila Maidan in Haldwani to purportedly purify the venue had exposed what he called the “real face” of the BJP. He described it as an example of a “hateful ideology” and a “distorted mindset”.

Arya said Mallikarjun Kharge had had a long political career and had worked for social justice and the protection of constitutional values. He questioned what such an incident suggested about the treatment of Dalits in Uttarakhand and other parts of the country if an incident of this nature could occur involving Kharge.

The Congress's “Vijay Shankhnaad Rally” was held at Haldwani's Ramlila Maidan on August 8. Two days later, on August 10, the Shri Ram Sena Dharmarth Seva Nyas organised a havan and puja ceremony at the same venue, which the Congress described as a “purification” ritual. Photographs and videos of the event subsequently emerged, turning the matter into a political controversy.

The Congress has linked the ceremony to Kharge's Dalit identity, alleging that it reflected a mindset of caste-based discrimination and demanding action against those responsible. The religious organisation that conducted the ceremony, however, has said it was organised in protest against alleged slogans and remarks made during the Congress rally.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar