Jaipur, Sep 1 (PTI) Rajasthan Congress president Govind Singh Dotasra on Tuesday said the “purification” ceremony held at a venue in Uttarakhand after party chief Mallikarjun Kharge’s rally showed BJP’s “narrow-mindedness” and questioned the FIR against Rahul Gandhi for raising the issue.
Dotasra said it was condemnable that no action had been taken against those involved in the alleged purification ceremony, while a case was registered against the Congress’ Leader of Opposition for highlighting the matter.
“BJP’s thinking and policy has always been anti-Dalit. The Constitution has given the right to equality. There is no place for untouchability and discrimination. Their (BJP’s) thinking is condemnable. The incident involving Kharge ji reflects BJP’s narrow-mindedness,” Dotasra told reporters here.
He said people from every section of society were criticising the registration of an FIR against Gandhi and asserted that the Congress would not be intimidated by such actions.
“The BJP needs to change its thought process; otherwise, the people of the country will oust them from power,” he said.
A political row erupted after some individuals allegedly performed a ‘purification yajna’ at the Ramlila Ground in Uttarahand’s Haldwani on August 11, following a public meeting held there by Congress chief Kharge on August 8.
While the Congress termed the incident a reflection of the BJP’s anti-Dalit mindset, the BJP defended the action, claiming that the venue was left littered after Kharge’s rally and that slogans were raised which were inappropriate for a religious site.
Dotasra also attacked the BJP-led government over rising inflation, saying prices of essential commodities and everyday items, including milk, pulses, sugar, spices, clothes and footwear, had increased, while the government was “unconcerned” about the plight of the people.
“Milk, pulses, sugar, spices, clothes and footwear — prices of everything have increased, but they (the government) are not concerned,” he said.
The Congress leader also criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his foreign visits, claiming that even countries with populations of around 5,000 were being visited by him to receive honours.
He alleged that the government was more focused on “making money” and travelling abroad than addressing the problems faced by people in the country.
Dotasra also attacked Modi over the situation in Manipur, alleging that the prime minister had not visited the state so far.
He said whenever a prime minister or minister visited a place, it was customary to inform people through the media about the purpose and outcome of the visit, but this was not being done.
The Congress leader accused the BJP of dividing people on the basis of religion and caste, saying it was the country’s “misfortune” that such people were in power.
Dotasra also alleged that the formula for calculating GDP had been changed and claimed that the BJP was using its “own formula” to arrive at the figures.
“Jobs are declining, farmers are protesting and infrastructure is not visible. Merely changing the names of schemes will not solve the problems,” he said.
On the upcoming elections to 309 urban local bodies in Rajasthan, Dotasra said the Congress had allotted around 11,500 symbols to candidates across the state.
He claimed it was the highest number of symbols allotted by the party in the history of such elections and said the process had been carried out transparently.
“Everyone took the decisions together,” he said.
Dotasra said more than 50 per cent of the tickets had been given to young candidates and educated people capable of doing good work had also been given an opportunity.
On resentment among party workers over denial of tickets to eligible candidates, he said such disappointment was natural.
“If a deserving person has been denied a ticket, resentment is natural. We will talk to them, convince them and ensure that they get the respect they deserve in organisations, boards and commissions,” he said. PTI AG NB NB
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.