NEW DELHI, Aug 13: Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday demanded legal action against those allegedly involved in the ‘purification’ of a stage in Haldwani after he addressed a public meeting there.
Raising the matter in the Rajya Sabha on the final day of the Monsoon Session, Kharge alleged that people associated with the BJP conducted a ritual to purify the Ramlila Maidan stage following his speech.
Kharge demanded that a case be registered under the Untouchability Act against those responsible and called for their arrest.
The Congress president said he had spoken at the gathering about issues affecting the people and had not made any remarks targeting a particular religion or community. He questioned the practice of conducting a purification ritual after his address.
“Is this the way democracy works? How are you protecting the Constitution?” Kharge asked while raising the issue in the House.
He said the incident amounted to an insult and maintained that he did not want to politicise the matter. Kharge also noted that he had addressed a public meeting at Ramlila Maidan in Haldwani.
Responding to the issue, Leader of the House and Union Minister J P Nadda said the BJP does not support such activities and assured the House that the incident would be investigated.
“This is a very sad incident, not just for the Congress but for all of us,” Nadda said, adding that the BJP condemns the incident.
Rajya Sabha Chairman C P Radhakrishnan also condemned the reported incident and asked the government to conduct an inquiry.
The issue triggered heated exchanges in the House, with members from both the Opposition and Treasury benches raising slogans.
Kharge’s remarks and the government’s response came amid political tensions on the final day of the Monsoon Session, with the incident drawing attention to questions surrounding social discrimination, political conduct and constitutional values.