Why Was Venue ‘Purified’ After Mallikarjun Kharge’s Uttarakhand Rally? Congress, BJP Clash

A
political
ow
has
e upted
i
Utta akha d
ove
a
epo ted
‘shuddhika a & squo;
o
pu ificatio
ce emo y
at
Haldwa i& squo;s
Ramlila
G ou d,
days
afte
Co g ess
p eside t
Mallika ju
Kha ge
add essed
a
ally
at
the
ve ue
o
August
8.
The
co t ove sy
bega
afte
membe s
of
the
Sh i
Ram
Se a
epo tedly
ca ied
out
the
itual
at
the
g ou d
followi g
Kha ge& squo;s
visit.
Utta akha d
Co g ess
p eside t
Ga esh
Godiyal
alleged
that
the
o ga isatio
has
li ks
with
the
BJP
a d
claimed
the
ce emo y
was
co ducted
because
Kha ge
is
a
Dalit.

Godiyal
accused
the
BJP
of
e cou agi g
caste-based
divisio s
a d
st o gly
co dem ed
the
i cide t.
He
also
c iticised
comme ts
att ibuted
to
membe s
of
the
o ga isatio ,
who
epo tedly
desc ibed
Kha ge
as
a ti-Hi du
a d
accused
him
of
de yi g
the
existe ce
of
Lo d
Ram.
Calli g
the
epo ted
pu ificatio
of
the
stage
“hu tful
a d
ep ehe sible& dquo;,
Godiyal
said
the
i cide t
eflected
caste
disc imi atio
a d
a
a ow-mi ded
mi dset.

He
u ged
Nai ital
Se io
Supe i te de t
of
Police
(SSP)
to
take
ote
of
the
matte ,
o de
a
impa tial
p obe
a d
take
app op iate
actio
if
a y
law
had
bee
violated.

“The e
is
o
place
fo
disc imi atio
a d
u touchability
i
mode
democ atic
I dia,& dquo;
Godiyal
said,
addi g
that
the
Co g ess
would
oppose
such
attitudes
th ough
democ atic
a d
co stitutio al
mea s.
He
also
i voked
Mahatma
Ga dhi& squo;s
views
o
u touchability,
desc ibi g
it
as
a
si
a d
st essi g
the
impo ta ce
of
huma ity
a d
equality.

BJP
Rejects
Co g ess’
Allegatio s

The
BJP
has
de ied
havi g
a y
co ectio
with
the
Sh i
Ram
Se a
a d
ejected
the
Co g ess& squo;
allegatio s.
BJP
state
spokespe so
a d
Cabi et
Mi iste
Khaja
Das
said
sloga s
allegedly
aised
du i g
Kha ge& squo;s
ally
had
hu t
the
se time ts
of
people
who
follow
Sa ata
Dha ma.

Das
accused
the
Co g ess
of
attempti g
to
cha ge
the
focus
of
the
co t ove sy
by
p ese ti g
the
pu ificatio
ce emo y
as
a
caste- elated
issue.
He
alleged
that
the
oppositio
pa ty
was
usi g
the
episode
to
c eate
divisio s
o
caste
li es.

He
also
c iticised
the
Co g ess
ove
what
he
desc ibed
as
its
histo ical
positio
o
Sa ata
t aditio s
a d
efe ed
to
co t ove sies
i volvi g
leade s
such
as
D
BR
Ambedka
a d
othe s.

The
competi g
allegatio s
have
si ce
tu ed
the
epo ted
ce emo y
i to
a
f esh
political
flashpoi t
betwee
the
Co g ess
a d
BJP
i
Utta akha d.

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