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Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Saturday, August 29, demanded that a first information report (FIR) be registered against those allegedly involved in a ‘purification’ ritual at Haldwani’s Ramlila Maidan following Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s rally there, calling the incident an act of untouchability and a crime under the Constitution.
Addressing a press conference at the Congress headquarters in New Delhi, Rahul urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Uttarakhand government to ensure legal action against those responsible. “We are demanding justice for the Congress president. Give the Congress president justice in Uttarakhand. It is the duty of the Central and State governments to ensure that Kharge ji gets justice,” he said.
The controversy relates to a Congress rally addressed by Kharge at Ramlila Maidan in Haldwani on August 8, 2026. Two days later, on August 10, a ‘purification’ ceremony was allegedly conducted at the same venue. Congress leaders have alleged that the ritual was linked to Kharge’s Dalit identity.
Rahul Gandhi demanded that an FIR be lodged under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. “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,” he said.
Calling the ritual another form of untouchability, Rahul said, “This is another name for untouchability. The BJP people practise untouchability. When they do shuddhikaran, they say that Dalits cannot touch, as they are impure.”
Rahul said the controversy was not limited to Kharge but concerned Dalits across the country. “I spoke to Kharge ji about this. It is not an issue of his. It concerns every Dalit person. We have raised this here. This is the tip of the iceberg. If the Congress president can face this openly, then imagine what happens in school with a four-year-old child,” he said.
Rahul Gandhi also framed the controversy as part of a larger ideological contest between constitutional values and the BJP-RSS. “There are two ideologies fighting in the country – the Constitution of India and that of the BJP-RSS. Whatever politics is happening in the country is between these two ideologies,” he said.
He alleged that caste discrimination against Dalits continues despite constitutional safeguards, citing alleged discrimination in schools, denial of access to common water sources and the use of separate utensils at tea stalls. “For thousands of years, violence was perpetrated against Dalits. This is illegal under the Constitution, but today also in schools, Dalit children are made to clean toilets,” Rahul said.
He also referred to alleged incidents involving other Dalit leaders, including Rajasthan Congress leader Tikaram Jully and Union Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi. “The more successful the Dalit person is, the more fierce the attack on him or her is,” he said.
The Congress has alleged that the Shri Ram Sena conducted the purification ceremony and accused the organisation of having links with the BJP. The BJP has denied the allegation.
Uttarakhand BJP president Mahendra Bhatt has defended the ceremony, saying it was related to slogans raised at the venue and not Kharge’s caste, according to the copies. The Congress has accused Bhatt of justifying the alleged act of untouchability.
The BJP has also distanced itself from the incident. BJP president and Leader of the House JP Nadda said the BJP did not subscribe to such activities and that the incident would be investigated.
Kharge had earlier raised the matter in Parliament, demanding action against those responsible. He had linked the incident to his identity as a Dalit leader and questioned how such an act could take place in a democracy.
Rahul Gandhi also rejected the suggestion that Kharge had complained about a lack of support from the Congress as a whole. “That’s not actually what happened. He said certain people didn’t support him. He didn’t in any way say that the vast majority of Congress did not support him. I supported him, and a whole number of other people supported him,” he said.
Asked about Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BSP chief Mayawati not speaking on the issue, Gandhi said his focus was on the alleged illegality. “I have no interest in the silence. Our interest is in illegality,” he said.
Meanwhile, Rahul declined to comment on the controversy surrounding the proposed publication of Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi’s memoir, Belonging. Calling questions on the matter a “digression strategy”, he said, “I don’t have any interest in this right now; I am interested in what they have done to Kharge ji.”
