Haldwani, Aug 29 (IANS) Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Saturday clarified on the ‘shuddhikaran’ or purification controversy following Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s rally in Haldwani, saying the people involved in the ritual were neither office-bearers nor workers of the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Speaking to reporters, CM Dhami said, “Those people who performed the purification ritual are no office-bearers of the Bharatiya Janata Party, no workers. But no one in Uttarakhand knows what Kharge ji’s caste is.”
He said the purification programme was organised by religious organisations in protest against what he described as religiously provocative slogans and an alleged act of desecration at the Ramlila venue.
“The way religious fanatic slogans were raised there, and the defilement was done there… It was a pure place, a religious place where Ramlila is staged. Major religious events take place. The defilement that occurred at such events, the slogans of religious fanaticism that were raised, and they were done by people of a particular religion,” CM Dhami said.
“In protest against this, religious organisations organised a purification programme there. And in this, I feel that the Congress party has become issueless. Now, they are raising unnecessary issues… You people yourselves are from Haldwani; you are witnesses to this. Who in Uttarakhand will admit today that caste discrimination exists here?” he questioned.
CM Dhami also highlighted the initiatives of the BJP-led government at the Centre under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying its approach was based on equal development and inclusion.
“And under our Prime Minister Modi’s leadership, work is being carried out across the country with the mantra of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas, Sabka Prayas’,” the Chief Minister said.
He also recalled the treatment of prominent Dalit leaders during the Congress’s tenure, referring to former Congress president Sitaram Kesri and former Deputy Prime Minister Babu Jagjivan Ram, as well as Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar.
He recalled the time when Sitaram Kesri was the Congress party president, saying, “How he was treated, how he was thrown out of office. What was done to Babu Jagjivan Ram ji, and to Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar ji, to Baba Saheb… they were never allowed to receive the Bharat Ratna, nor were they allowed to enter Parliament.”
The Chief Minister accused the Congress of pursuing what he described as appeasement politics and alleged that the party was attempting to create a narrative around the controversy for electoral gains.
“Congress has always worked for appeasement, and now they want to create such a narrative for votes. I believe that not only in Uttarakhand, but every person in the country has come to know very well that no such incident has happened, neither against Kharge ji nor against the Congress party,” he said.
“People here had once themselves come forward and organised a programme against the religious frenzy. And Kharge ji was so instrumental in that. He is a respected leader, with many ministers and chief ministers of several states standing behind him. He himself was saying that he had worked with Atal ji, Advani ji, and even during their time,” CM Dhami said.
He further said the people of Uttarakhand had historically welcomed people from different parts of the country and rejected the suggestion that they would deliberately insult anyone on the basis of caste or identity.
“He has such seniority; how can we… the people of Uttarakhand insult anyone? The people of Uttarakhand are not like that. They have assimilated whoever comes here. This ‘miniature India’ is always visible in Uttarakhand. The people of Uttarakhand have always prioritised nationalism,” he added.
“If Congress wants votes, then they have to work for votes,” the Chief Minister added.
This came as Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi on Saturday demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi direct the filing of an FIR against those allegedly involved in the “shuddhikaran” or purification of the Ramlila ground in Haldwani after Kharge addressed a public meeting there.
Describing the controversy as part of a larger battle between two competing ideologies — the Constitution on one side and the views of the RSS-BJP on the other, Gandhi said that the Congress chief should get justice and urged the government to initiate action under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
–IANS
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