NEW DELHI: The Rajya Sabha witnessed a massive uproar after Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge said a ‘shuddhikaran’ (purification) ceremony was held at the Haldwani venue where he addressed a rally in BJP-ruled Uttarakhand. As soon as Kharge raised the issue, Union Minister JP Nadda called the incident “unfortunate” and asserted that the BJP doesn’t subscribe to such activities.
The issue has already created a political stir in Uttarakhand, where the Congress and the BJP have been trading barbs over the ritual at Haldwani’s Ram Lila Ground. It was held by a right-wing outfit two days after Kharge, a Dalit, addressed a public rally at the venue. On Thursday, the last day of the Monsoon session of Parliament, the issue echoed in the Rajya Sabha.
As the proceedings kicked off, the Congress chief alleged that BJP workers performed a “havan” and carried out a “purification” of the stage from which he addressed a rally on August 8.
“There were lakhs of people present at the time. I did not name any community or religion. I only spoke about the problems faced by the people there. But after my speech, BJP workers performed a havan,” Kharge said.
“Is this the way in a democracy? How are you protecting the Constitution? I am the LoP… I never wanted to politicise these issues,” Kharge, only the second Dalit leader to head the Congress, said.
Amid loud sloganeering by Congress MPs, the Rajya Sabha Chairman sought to pacify Kharge, emphasising that there was no bigger sin in the world than “untouchability”.
“It should be condemned… Those who have done it should be caught. There is no two opinions on this,” he said.
Union Minister JP Nadda sought to distance the BJP from the incident. He assured Kharge that the matter would be investigated.
“Please don’t say repeatedly that we (BJP) did. The BJP does not subscribe to such activities,” Nadda said.
“I assure you that whatever happened there will certainly be investigated. The (BJP) national president will look into this. It is a matter of great regret for all of us that your sentiments were hurt,” he further said.
To this, Kharge stressed that he wasn’t blaming anyone for the incident. “I am saying register a case, arrest them…This is what we demand,” he said.
