Haldwani, Uttarakhand
Political rhetoric has intensified over the alleged purification carried out following Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s public meeting in Haldwani. After Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi linked the issue to the alleged insult of the Scheduled Caste community, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) launched a sharp attack on the Congress.
BJP spokesperson Guru Prakash Paswan accused the Congress of being anti-Scheduled Caste and having what he described as a neo-feudal mindset. He said the Congress had used the Dalit community for decades primarily to serve its political interests. According to him, instead of providing Dalits with respect and meaningful participation, the Congress had treated them as a means of securing political gains.
Referring to statements reportedly made by two members of the Scheduled Caste community who carried out the purification, the BJP said there was no basis for linking the incident to an insult against Scheduled Castes. BJP leaders claimed that the statements of the individuals concerned made it clear that the Congress was attempting to give the issue a political colour.
The BJP also questioned why Rahul Gandhi had raised the issue prominently nearly 20 days after the incident. The party alleged that the Congress was now trying to turn the matter into a political issue in an attempt to mislead the public and the Dalit community.
Guru Prakash Paswan referred to BJP-ruled states and said that the BJP had given leaders from Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes opportunities to hold important positions, including that of chief minister. He demanded that the Congress publicly disclose how many chief ministers from these communities were serving in states governed by the party.
The BJP spokesperson also referred to the alleged discrimination faced by Dr B. R. Ambedkar and Babu Jagjivan Ram during periods of Congress rule. He alleged that this mindset had not completely disappeared and claimed that leaders from the Scheduled Caste community still did not receive equal treatment within the Congress.
The BJP said there was no concrete basis for describing the Haldwani incident as an insult to the Scheduled Caste community and accused the Congress of attempting to turn the matter into a major political controversy for electoral and political gain.
