The controversy surrounding the 'purification' ritual performed at the Ramlila Ground in Haldwani, where Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge held a rally earlier this month, continues as BJP Uttarakhand chief Mahendra Bhatt defended the action. Kharge had demanded the arrest of those who carried out the ritual.
Uttarakhand Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Mahendra Bhatt has further justified the 'purification' of the Ramlila Ground in Haldwani, where Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge held a rally earlier this month. In an interview with The Hindu, Bhatt stated that the venue was polluted by slogans and clarified that the purification was not against any person belonging to a Scheduled Caste. He added that those who have no real issues are the ones who raise matters that only damage and divide society. The place was purified because it was defiled and polluted by the slogans shouted during the rally. Kharge had raised the matter in the Rajya Sabha on August 13, demanding that those who performed the ritual be arrested.
Union minister JP Nadda had previously stated that the BJP 'does not subscribe to such activities' and that the party would investigate the matter. Nevertheless, Bhatt maintained that the ‘purification’ was carried out because ‘slogans were raised that should not have been raised’, without specifying which utterances he was referring to.
Congress MP Pawan Khera has reacted to Bhatt's statement, stating that 'discrimination flows through the veins' of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and the BJP like blood. The RSS is the parent organisation of the BJP.
Khera said on social media it is a tragedy that Dalits are being subjected to ‘such dehumanising practices’ in the 21st century. ‘But if this can happen to the leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha and one of the tallest Dalit leaders in the country elucidates how far worse the everyday reality must be for ordinary Dalits,’ he said.
Khera further asked whether the BJP or Prime Minister Narendra Modi would take action against Bhatt since he ‘openly defended untouchability’. The purification ritual in Haldwani was performed by a group named Shri Ram Sena. The Congress’ Uttarakhand unit has alleged that the group is associated with the BJP, while the BJP has denied links to the group and claimed that slogans shouted at Kharge’s rally had offended those who believed in Sanatana Dharma.
Source:
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