Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge addresses a gathering during the presentation of the Dr YS Rajasekhara Reddy Award 2026, in New Delhi, on September 2, 2026.
| Photo Credit: PTI
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday (September 3, 2026) said the shuddhikaran (purification) of the Ramlila ground in Uttarakhand’s Haldwani, where he had addressed a political rally, amounted to practising “untouchability”, and said his party would approach Rajya Sabha Chairman C.P. Radhakrishnan over the issue.On September 2, Mr. Kharge, who is the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, wrote to Union Minister and Leader of the Rajya Sabha J.P. Nadda, urging him to direct Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami to ensure that a First Information Report (FIR) was registered against those responsible for the alleged purification ritual.In his letter, Mr. Kharge recalled that he had raised the matter in the Rajya Sabha on August 13 and that Mr. Nadda had assured the House that the incident would be investigated and strict action taken against those found guilty. The Rajya Sabha Chairman had also expressed his grief over the incident, he said.“Even after 24 days of this incident, not even an FIR has been filed against the organisations and individuals involved in this heinous act,” Mr. Kharge said.Mr. Kharge linked the incident to the history of caste discrimination, recalling that during the Mahad Satyagraha, when B.R. Ambedkar drank water from a public tank, caste Hindus had subsequently performed a purification ritual using gomutra and gobar. Such practices, he said, could not be sanctified merely by chanting mantras or performing a havan.“This issue transcends my personal self or the office of the Indian National Congress president; it is deeply connected to the sentiments of crores of people who confront this harsh reality on a daily basis,” he said in his letter.The Congress president said the ritual at the Ramlila Maidan, following his August 8 rally, was contrary to the spirit of the Constitution and human values. “This is an incident of untouchability; it is not just about purification,” he told reporters at his official residence in New Delhi.Mr. Kharge also questioned the silence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah on the issue. “Whenever something wrong happens, they remain silent,” he said, citing the alleged theft of donations to the Ram Temple, and atrocities against Dalits as other instances.He also defended the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, who had criticised the purification ritual and demanded an FIR under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. An FIR was subsequently registered against Mr. Gandhi in Uttarakhand over his remarks.Congress General Secretary (organisation) K.C. Venugopal said Mr. Gandhi will not be intimidated by cases against him. “These people [BJP] is a problem for Rahul Gandhi. He will be scared like Mr. Modi. It’s not like that. He is the most courageous leader today,” Mr. Venugopal said. Published - September 03, 2026 03:34 pm IST
