Amid the Haldwani 'purification' row, Siddaramaiah and Rahul Gandhi condemned the act as blatant casteism, demanding an FIR under the SC/ST Act. BJP leaders, however, refuted the allegations, accusing Congress of creating social division.
Siddaramaiah calls 'purification' an act of untouchability
Amid massive political storm over the Haldwani 'purification' row, former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday registered his outrage, describing the "purification" ritual carried out at Ramlila Maidan on August 10 as a blatant act of casteism and an explicit manifestation of "untouchability".
After Leader of Opposition (LoP) Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi tore into the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) during a press conference in New Delhi today, Siddaramaiah characterised the practice as "another name for untouchability". He said that the act is a direct assault on equality and human dignity.
The senior Congress leader strongly demanded the strictest possible action against those responsible and called for the immediate registration of a First Information Report (FIR) under the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
"The 'purification' ritual carried out by a right-wing group at Haldwani's Ramlila Maidan on August 10, after Congress President Mallikarjun @kharge addressed a rally there, is a blatant act of casteism and another form of untouchability. This is the poisonous mindset nurtured by the BJP-RSS Sangh Parivar ecosystem. Untouchability is outlawed by our Constitution, and such an act is an assault on equality and human dignity," Siddaramaiah posted on X.
"I strongly demand the strictest action against those responsible and immediate registration of an FIR under the SC/ST Act. @RahulGandhi is right in demanding justice for our Congress President," he added.
The ‘purification’ ritual carried out by a right-wing group at Haldwani’s Ramlila Maidan on August 10, after Congress President Shri Mallikarjun @kharge addressed a rally there, is a blatant act of casteism and another form of untouchability. This is the poisonous mindset… https://t.co/ecyqR4wzOG — Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) August 29, 2026
He also expressed deep dismay that Uttarakhand BJP president Mahendra Bhatt went on to defend the so-called "purification" ritual at Haldwani's Ramlila Maidan.
Challenging Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Siddaramaiah asked how the BJP can speak of social justice while remaining silent as their own leaders defend acts of "untouchability". He demanded that PM Modi clarify to the nation whether he condemns the act or stands with those who justify it.
"Prime Minister @narendramodi and the BJP cannot speak of social justice while remaining silent when such acts are committed, and their own leaders defend them. Modi must tell the country clearly: does he condemn this act of untouchability, or does the BJP stand with those who justify it?" he questioned.
Congress leaders demand FIR under SC/ST Act
The remarks came after Rahul Gandhi demanded an immediate registration of an FIR under the SC/ST Act against those who allegedly carried out a 'shuddhikaran' (purification) ritual in Uttarakhand following Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge's visit.
"This act violates the SC/ST Act. Performing a 'purification' ritual is a crime. Yet, no action has been taken. Therefore, we demand that an FIR be registered immediately against those who carried out this purification ritual in Uttarakhand," Gandhi said.
Demanding that the Prime Minister must direct the immediate registration of an FIR, he added, "We want the Prime Minister to immediately order the registration of an FIR against these individuals under the SC/ST Act. It is the duty of both the State Government and the Central Government to ensure that Kharge ji receives justice in Uttarakhand."
"When they perform this purification, they are effectively saying that Dalits should not be touched, that Dalits are unclean, and this constitutes a crime under the Indian Constitution," he said.
Senior Congress leader Pawan Khera strongly echoed the party's stance, stating on X that Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge was subjected to outright "untouchability" during his Uttarakhand visit.
Demanding an FIR, he said in an X post, "What Shri Mallikarjun @kharge was subjected to was untouchability. Untouchability is a crime under the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, enacted under the Constitution of India. Our demand is straightforward: an FIR must be lodged against everyone who practised and supported this crime."
Congress MP Akhilesh Prasad Singh asserted that the Prime Minister should have ensured an FIR was filed and the culprits punished. "The Rajya Sabha had been adjourned over this question. Mallikarjun Kharge himself had raised this question. The Prime Minister should have filed an FIR against whoever did this and had them punished," he said.
Odisha Congress president Bhakta Charan Das echoed a similar sentiment, stating, "The act itself comes under the purview of the Atrocity Act. It is a violation of law and disrespect of the Indian community. In a sovereign nation like India, this should not happen."
BJP refutes 'caste angle', accuses Congress of division
However, BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi, during a press conference in the national capital, claimed there was "no caste angle" in the video related to the Uttarakhand 'shuddhikaran' (purification) controversy. He accused the Congress of repeatedly raising caste and other similar issues to create divisions in Hindu society.
"It is quite clear from these two videos that there was no angle of caste in it. But I said they have lost their creativity. So every time on their worn-out line, they keep busy finding new ways to create conflict in India," Trivedi said.
Targeting Congress, he said, "Their only agenda is to make Hindus fight among themselves and to push forward the agenda of Macaulay, Marx, and Maulana from behind."
NDA allies question Congress's track record
Earlier, Union Minister Chirag Paswan asked how the Congress, which held power for a prolonged period after independence, could claim discrimination persists without acknowledging their own failure to strengthen foundational social structures.
"The Congress party and its leader, the Leader of the Opposition, Rahul Gandhi -- have expressed concern regarding the discrimination Dalits still face today, citing several examples. If the social situation remains unchanged, it is certainly a matter of concern for our government as well; that is why we firmly articulate our stance on various issues," Paswan told mediapersons in Patna.
"Yet, those expressing concern today are the very people the country gave ample opportunity to for a long time after independence. How can they now claim that discrimination persists in society?" he asked.
"If discrimination continued in society despite this, it implies that they, too, failed to strengthen the foundations effectively," Paswan said.
Union Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi distanced the BJP, NDA, and RSS from the controversy and said, "This has nothing to do with RSS, nor with NDA, nor with BJP. The issue is that even today, there are some people in society who hold such wrong thinking. We condemn such people."
Uttarakhand Minister Khajan Das noted a similar stance, saying that the BJP has absolutely no connection to the incident. "I wish to state that there was no such intention; the Bharatiya Janata Party dissociates itself from this entirely. The BJP has nothing to do with it," he noted.
Bihar Minister Santosh Kumar Suman criticised Rahul Gandhi's remarks as indicative of political immaturity, questioning the condition of Dalits during the decades-long rule of Gandhi's ancestors compared to the inclusive empowerment seen under the NDA government.
"In the era of Rahul Gandhi's ancestors, who ruled this country for 40 years, what was the condition of the Dalits in the country? Which Dalit did they make Prime Minister, or which Dalit did they give a ministerial position to? Today, in the NDA government, everyone has been freed from this. Everyone is doing good work, everyone is being given employment, and everyone is being given training. Rahul Gandhi's language is indicative of his immaturity. He should learn something; only then will he be worthy of remaining the Leader of Opposition," he remarked.
Legal action and organiser's defence
Meanwhile, Punjab Congress vice president Rajkumar Verka led a delegation to the Amritsar Police Commissioner to formally submit a representation demanding an FIR under the SC/ST Act.
"We have come to the Police Commissioner today to file an FIR. What happened in Haldwani, Uttarakhand, is condemnable. Mallikarjun Kharge is one of the country's senior leaders and a prominent Dalit leader, having served as an MP, MLA, minister, and now as Congress president. Yet discrimination happened against him, and the stage from which he addressed the gathering was later purified by RSS and BJP workers. We believe this is a case of discrimination and want an FIR registered under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act," he asserted.
Speaking on this, Amritsar Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Jaskiranjit Singh Teja assured that the authorities will examine the representation and take appropriate action. "Verka and his delegation came and submitted a representation regarding some alleged violations against SC/ST. We will examine the representation and take whatever action is appropriate. They have raised an issue concerning Uttarakhand, and if required, we will write to the concerned authorities there," he emphasised.
Meanwhile, Shri Ram Sena Dharmarth Seva Nyas president Girish Chandra Pandey and the main organiser of the purification program strongly defended the ritual conducted at the Ramlila Maidan, explaining that the ritual was necessary to restore the sanctity of the location. He argued that the cleanup was a response to litter and filth left behind on the stage, followed by a yajna to purify the area.
"The purification ritual was performed to restore the sanctity of the place. We cleaned up the filth left behind on the stage, whether it was liquor bottles, urine, spat-out paan or various wrappers and rendered the site fit for a yajna. We then conducted a yajna to formally purify the area," he said.
Further, he condemned Gandhi for exploiting the incident for political gain by lacking facts and complete information on the matter. "How various political parties or individuals choose to exploit this for political gain is their own prerogative. However, the remarks made today by Rahul Gandhi are condemnable. Firstly, he lacks information regarding the full details of the matter. Secondly, regarding his statements, on one hand, he speaks of 'saving the Constitution', yet on the other, he simply wants his own obstinate demands met," he said.
How the controversy began
The controversy erupted after Kharge in the Rajya Sabha alleged that a purification ritual had been carried out at the Haldwani venue following his August 8 Congress rally, which was organised as part of the party's preparations for the 2027 Uttarakhand Assembly elections.
Kharge said lakhs of people were present at the rally and that he had spoken about issues affecting the people without referring to any particular community or religion.
"But after my speech, people associated with the BJP carried out a 'purification' ritual of that stage. You may have read about this in the newspapers. Is this the way things should happen in a democracy? How are you protecting the Constitution?" Kharge said in the Rajya Sabha.
He later took to X and said he did not want the incident to be politicised, while calling for strict legal action and demanding that a case be filed under the Untouchability Act against those who conducted the ritual. (ANI)
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