After Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka demands FIR over 'shuddhikaran' of Kharge rally venue
After Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka demands FIR over 'shuddhikaran' of Kharge rally venue
M.U.H
31/08/202622
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Sunday stepped up the party's attack on the BJP over the reported ‘shuddhikaran’ at the venue where Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge had addressed a rally in Uttarakhand's Haldwani. She said that if Prime Minister Narendra Modi truly respects the Constitution, he should ensure that an FIR is filed and action is taken under the SC/ST Act against those responsible.
Her remarks came a day after Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi raised the issue at a press conference and called the act a crime under the Constitution. Both leaders said no action had been taken even 20 days after the incident and accused the BJP-RSS of promoting untouchability.
In a post in Hindi on X, Priyanka Gandhi said, “Congress President Shri Mallikarjun Kharge ji addressed a rally in Haldwani, after which people from BJP-RSS ‘purified’ his stage. This ‘purification’ is not only a symbol of an extremely reprehensible and shameful mindset but also a grave violation of our Constitution and the SC/ST Act, and a crime.”
She said 20 days had passed but the prime minister and his government had taken no action, and asked the reason for it. “If the honourable Prime Minister Modi ji truly respects the Constitution of our country, then he should ensure that an FIR is filed against those who committed this crime in Uttarakhand and that action is taken under the SC/ST Act,” she said.
Priyanka Gandhi also tagged a video of Rahul Gandhi’s press conference, in which he demanded that PM Modi order an FIR against those who carried out the ‘shuddhikaran’ at the venue where Kharge had addressed a rally in Haldwani.
Addressing reporters at the Congress headquarters in Delhi on Saturday, Rahul Gandhi said the act amounted to untouchability, blamed the “BJP-RSS mindset” for it and demanded that those responsible be booked under the SC/ST Act.
“The incident reflects the mindset of the BJP-RSS people who continue to practice untouchability, and they do not want Dalits to progress and live with respect and be successful,” he said. “We are demanding justice for the Congress president... It is the duty of the central and state governments to ensure that Kharge gets justice,” he added.
Rahul Gandhi also alleged that Uttarakhand BJP president Mahendra Bhatt had defended the purification and that the prime minister had remained silent. “We demand that an FIR be lodged against those who have done this. PM Modi states that he belongs to every caste and is the Prime Minister of the country, but his party chief of Uttarakhand defends ‘shuddhikaran’,” he said.
The Congress had on Thursday accused Bhatt of “justifying” the purification ceremony and asked whether the ruling party would act against him as he had “defended untouchability”. Bhatt had reportedly said the place was polluted with slogans not fit for a religious place, while dismissing the opposition’s criticism of the ritual.
Uttarakhand Congress chief Ganesh Godiyal has alleged that the Shri Ram Sena carried out the ceremony and that it was linked to the BJP, a charge the ruling party has strongly denied. Kharge had raised the issue in the Rajya Sabha earlier this month and demanded that cases be registered under the untouchability law and those involved be arrested.
Leader of the House and Union minister JP Nadda had said the BJP did not subscribe to such activities and that the incident would be investigated. The row has since become a fresh flashpoint between the Congress and the BJP, with the opposition demanding legal action and the BJP rejecting the allegations.
