Haldwani Purification Row: Congress To Hold Protest In Dehradun On Sep 7, Plans To File FIRs Across Districts

Haldwani Purification Row: The Congress leaders will hold a major protest in Dehradun on September 7, over the purification ritual carried out at Haldwani’s Ramlila ground after Mallikarjun Kharge conducted a rally. Uttarakhand in-charge and MP Kumari Selja is also expected to participate in the protest. The Indian National Congress have been demanding FIRs and action against those who carried out a purification ritual on August 8.

On Sunday, Shelja held discussions with State Congress President Ganesh Godiyal and election campaign in-charge MLA Pritam Singh in Delhi over the issue. Congress leaders briefed the state in-charge on the incident in Haldwani, the party's stance against the BJP, and its proposed programs. Describing the incident as a politically and socially serious issue, the Congress is preparing to address the issue and demand police action. Sources said the state in-charge also discussed the preparations being made at the organisational level and the movement, Jagran reported.

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Priyanka Gandhi’s Take On The Issue

Sharing a hard hitting post on X, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi, said, "Congress President Shri Mallikarjun Kharge ji addressed a rally in Haldwani, after which people from BJP-RSS ‘purified’ his stage. This ‘purification’ is not only a symbol of an extremely reprehensible and shameful mindset but also a grave violation of our Constitution and the SC/ST Act, and a crime."

Gandhi asserted that no action has been taken even as 20 days have passed since the purification incident took place. If the honourable Prime Minister Modi ji truly respects the Constitution of our country, then he should ensure that an FIR is filed against those who committed this crime in Uttarakhand and that action is taken under the SC/ST Act," she said.

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‘Every Action Has An Equal And Opposite Reaction’

Leader of Opposition, Rahul Gandhi called for immediate action, asserting that it is the duty of state and central government to provide justice to the Congress president. "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.

The LOP then questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s silence over this issue, further alleging that this reflects his ideology. "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.