New Delhi : The Rajya Sabha witnessed a massive uproar after Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge said a ‘shuddhikaran’ (purification) ceremony was held at the venue where he addressed a rally in BJP-ruled Uttarakhand. 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.
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.
Amid loud sloganeering by Congress MPs, the Rajya Sabha Speaker 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.
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. A video of the ‘purification’ ceremony has also gone viral on social media. It shows a priest conducting a havan amid chanting of Vedic mantras. In another video, one of the organisers says that the venue holds religious significance and should be reserved strictly for cultural, not political, events. The incident also received flak from the RJD, which blamed the BJP for nurturing such “casteist bigots”.
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