New Delhi [India], August 30 (ANI): Union Minister Pralhad Joshi on Sunday accused Congress leader Rahul Gandhi of doing "drama" over the alleged purification ritual at a venue in Uttarakhand's Haldwani where Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge had addressed a rally, asserting that neither the BJP nor its workers had anything to do with the incident.
"The first thing is that Rahul Gandhi is remembering this now? Mallikarjun Kharge had mentioned this incident 15-20 days ago. The second thing is that on the same day, JP Nadda said that no BJP or Sangh Parivar person is involved in this. This was also clarified. Despite that, JP Nadda, as the Leader of the Rajya Sabha, had condemned this incident," Joshi said.
"When Mallikarjun Kharge expressed a lot of sorrow about this, Rahul Gandhi remembered it, but neither the BJP nor any BJP worker has anything to do with it. We have no connection to it, no relation, yet Rahul Gandhi keeps doing this drama," he added.
The controversy erupted after allegations that a "shuddhikaran" (purification) ritual was performed at the Ramlila Maidan stage in Haldwani after Kharge addressed a Congress rally there on August 8 as part of preparations for the 2027 Uttarakhand Assembly election.
Raising the issue in the Rajya Sabha on August 13, Kharge alleged that "people associated with the BJP" subsequently carried out a purification ritual at the stage after his speech. He said his address had focused on public grievances and had not targeted any community or religion.
Responding to the allegation, Leader of the House in the Rajya Sabha JP Nadda condemned the alleged incident and said the BJP did not subscribe to such activities. Nadda also said the allegations raised by Kharge would be investigated.
"What Kharge ji has said is truly a matter of concern-not just for the Congress party, but for all of us. Kharge ji has said that those who did this were BJP people. I want to make it absolutely clear that the BJP does not subscribe to such activities," Nadda said.
Kharge subsequently said he did not want to turn the incident into a political issue, but alleged that the act amounted to insult and humiliation on the basis of his caste.
The issue resurfaced after Rahul Gandhi attacked the BJP and RSS over the alleged ritual at a press conference in Delhi, calling it another name for untouchability and alleging that such an act amounted to a crime under the Constitution.
Gandhi had alleged that BJP and RSS members were responsible for the ritual and said it conveyed that Dalits were "unclean" and should not be touched. (ANI)
"Rahul Gandhi keeps doing this drama...": Pralhad Joshi over Haldwani 'purification' row
