Haldwani ‘purification’ ritual, FIR against Rahul expose BJP’s double standards: Uttam

Telangana Irrigation and Civil Supplies Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy condemned the “purification” ritual performed on the stage where Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge addressed a public meeting in Haldwani, Uttarakhand, and criticised the registration of an FIR against Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi for questioning the incident.

In a statement, Mr. Reddy said the developments reflected Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) “double standards”, alleging that those who conducted the ritual had escaped action while Mr. Gandhi was targeted for opposing what he described as symbolism associated with untouchability.

“No number of FIRs can deter Mr. Rahul Gandhi or the Congress Party from fighting the BJP’s politics of caste discrimination, hatred and intimidation,” he said.

Mr. Reddy said Mr. Kharge’s speech dealt with issues concerning the people and the government’s performance and contained no reference to any religion or community. But a purification havan on the same stage was not merely a personal insult to the Congress president but also an affront to the dignity of millions of Dalits.

He criticised Uttarakhand BJP president Mahendra Bhatt for defending the ritual and said the response reflected what the Minister termed as “casteist and regressive mindset” of the BJP-RSS ecosystem.

Mr. Reddy also backed Mr. Rahul Gandhi’s criticism of the incident. He alleged that law-enforcement agencies in BJP-ruled States were being used to intimidate Opposition leaders and silence voices defending constitutional rights.