New Delhi, Aug 30 (PTI) Upping the ante against the BJP, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Sunday said that if Prime Minister Narendra Modi truly respects the Constitution, then he should ensure that an FIR is filed against those who committed the “crime” of carrying out ‘shuddhikaran’ at the venue where party chief Mallikarjun Kharge addressed a rally in Uttarakhand’s Haldwani.
Priyanka Gandhi asserted that Modi must ensure that action is taken under the SC/ST Act against those who carried out the “shuddhikaran (purification)” ceremony earlier this month.
“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,” the Congress general secretary said in a post in Hindi on X.
Priyanka Gandhi said 20 days have passed, but no action has been taken by the prime minister and his government, and asked what is the reason for that.
“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,” Priyanka Gandhi said.
She also tagged a video of the press conference of Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, in which he demanded that Prime Minister Modi order an FIR against those who carried out ‘shuddhikaran’ at the venue where Kharge addressed a rally in Haldwani. Gandhi said it was a crime according to the Constitution.
Addressing a press conference at the Congress headquarters here on Saturday, the leader of the opposition in Lok Sabha 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. He also alleged that no action had been taken even 20 days after the incident.
“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,” Gandhi 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.
The former Congress chief alleged that Uttarakhand BJP president Mahendra Bhatt had defended the purification and 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’,” Gandhi said.
The Congress on Thursday accused Uttarakhand BJP chief Mahendra Bhatt of “justifying” the purification ceremony and asked whether the ruling party would take action against the leader as he “defended untouchability”.
Bhatt had reportedly said the place was polluted with slogans not fit for a religious place, as he dismissed the criticism over the ritual by the opposition.
The alleged purification took place at Ramlila Maidan in Haldwani where Kharge had addressed a gathering on August 8.
Uttarakhand Congress chief Ganesh Godiyal has alleged that the Shri Ram Sena had performed the purification ceremony and it was associated with the BJP, a charge vehemently denied by the ruling party.
Kharge had raised the issue in the upper house earlier this month. He demanded that cases be registered under the untouchability law against those involved in the act and that they be arrested.
Leader of the House and Union minister J P Nadda had said the BJP did not subscribe to such activities and that the incident would be investigated. PTI ASK DV DV
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