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The row over the alleged 'shuddhikaran' (purification) ritual following Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge's Haldwani rally intensified on Thursday as Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi accused the BJP-RSS of perpetuating a "Manuvadi mindset".
Calling the act an insult to the Constitution, Gandhi alleged that the incident is part of a broader, sustained ideological pattern rather than an isolated event. "The 'purification' of the stage after the public meeting of Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge ji in Haldwani is not just an insult to one individual - it is an insult to that Constitution which declared untouchability a crime. And this is not an isolated incident. It is the result of the Manuvadi mindset nurtured by BJP-RSS for years - that vile mindset which, even today, determines a person's status by their birth, not by equality and humanity," Gandhi said on X. Gandhi's sharp remarks come in the wake of a massive political row inside the Rajya Sabha, where Mallikarjun Kharge accused the BJP of carrying out a 'shuddhikaran' ritual of the stage at Uttarakhand's Haldwani, where he addressed a Congress rally on August 8 as part of the party's preparations for the 2027 Uttarakhand Assembly election. He said, "It pains me to say that I had delivered a speech at the Ramlila Maidan in Haldwani, where lakhs of people were present. I did not mention the name of any community or religion there; I only spoke about the problems faced by the people." "But after my speech, people associated with the BJP carried out a 'purification' ritual of that stage. You may have read about this in the newspapers. Is this the way things should happen in a democracy? How are you protecting the Constitution?" Kharge alleged. Leader of the House JP Nadda condemned the alleged incident while asserting that the BJP does not subscribe to such activities. Nadda also said that the BJP will surely investigate the allegations raised by Mallikarjun Kharge. Kharge also took to X to clarify that he did not want the incident politicised, noting that while he has the resilience to fight, the episode left him feeling deeply humiliated. He called for strict legal repercussions, demanding that a case be filed under the Untouchability Act against those who conducted the ritual. "I don't want to turn this into a political issue. I have never told anyone to protect me because I am a Dalit, nor have I begged in front of anyone. I have the strength to fight, and I do fight. But in Haldwani, the purification of the stage made me feel the sting of untouchability and humiliated me. My demand is-- A case should be registered under the Untouchability Act against those who purified the stage in Haldwani, and they should be arrested and sent to jail," he said. (ANI)
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