Rahul Gandhi warns of 'reaction' over Kharge 'purification' ritual

Rahul Gandhi warned of a 'reaction' if authorities fail to act on the 'purification' ritual in Uttarakhand post-Mallikarjun Kharge's visit. He slammed the PM's silence and demanded action, stating the core issue is the practice of untouchability.

Gandhi Warns of 'Reaction' for Inaction

The Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Saturday warned of a "reaction" if action is not taken over the alleged 'shuddhikaran' (purification) ritual in Uttarakhand following Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge's visit.

Gandhi said the Congress has decided to seek justice for Kharge and that the matter was now in the hands of the authorities. "We have decided that we want our President to get justice. Now the ball is in their court. If they take the action that ought to be taken, very good. If they do not take action, then there will certainly be a reaction from us. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction," Gandhi said.

Criticism of PM's Silence, BJP State President

He criticised the silence of the Prime Minister and said the Congress was seeking concrete action rather than statements. "We are not interested in the silence. The fact that the Prime Minister is neither speaking nor acting is a reflection of his ideology; we have no interest in that," he said.

Gandhi also accused the Uttarakhand BJP president of committing an "illegal" act by supporting the alleged activity and demanded action against him. "The BJP's Uttarakhand state president has committed an illegal act by supporting this activity. We want action taken against them. It is a simple matter," he said.

'Is Untouchability Being Practised?'

"Whether the Prime Minister chooses to speak about this or not is of no interest to us. Whether Mayawati ji speaks or not is of no interest to us. You can give it whatever terminology you like," he said.

He said the central issue was "whether untouchability was being practised and permitted in the country". "We are interested in the question of untouchability: are you practising untouchability or not? Are you allowing untouchability to be practised in this country? Yes, it is a crime. We want action, plain and simple," the Congress leader said.

Background of the Controversy

The controversy stems from an August 8 rally in Haldwani, organised ahead of the 2027 Uttarakhand Assembly elections, after which members of a right-wing group performed a purification ritual at the venue. The incident drew widespread condemnation from the Congress leadership. The Haldwani row gained national traction after Mallikarjun Kharge raised the issue in the Rajya Sabha, linking the ritual to his identity as a Dalit leader and describing it as an attempt to project him as "untouchable". (ANI)

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