Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], August 14 : The Shimla urban and rural units of the Congress in Himachal Pradesh on Friday staged a silent protest at the Mahatma Gandhi statue on the Ridge here over allegations that a section of BJP supporters and Hindu organisations performed a ritual involving sprinkling Gangajal and a havan in Haldwani after a rally addressed by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge.
Congress leaders alleged that the reported act amounted to an insult to Dalits and reflected caste-based discrimination, as Kharge is a prominent Dalit leader. They claimed that the ritual was carried out on the premise that the venue had to be "purified" after Dalit participants attended the Congress programme.
The BJP and the organisations allegedly involved have not responded to the allegations in the material provided.
The protest was jointly organised by the Shimla Urban and Shimla Rural Congress committees. Party workers first raised slogans while marching from Lohar Bazaar and later observed a silent protest near the Mahatma Gandhi statue on the Ridge.
Speaking to ANI, Shimla Urban Congress president Inderjit Singh said the alleged incident took place after Kharge addressed a programme in Haldwani on August 8.
"On August 8, our national president Mallikarjun Kharge ji held a programme in Haldwani. After the programme, BJP workers allegedly sprinkled Gangajal and performed a havan there. When it is time to seek votes, they claim to stand with Dalits, but this incident shows their mindset," Singh said.
He described the alleged sprinkling of Gangajal and performance of a havan after the Congress president's programme as "highly condemnable" and said the Congress would continue to stand with Dalits.
Shimla Rural Congress president Hari Krishna Himral also condemned the alleged incident and linked the controversy to India's constitutional commitment to secularism and equality.
Speaking to ANI, Himral said India's secular character was a fundamental principle adopted after Independence and was among the foundations of the country's progress.
"India adopted a secular character after Independence in 1947. This is in contrast to Pakistan, which chose to become a state based on religion. Today, where is Pakistan and where has India reached? Our progress is also a result of our secular character," Himral said.
He said the principles of equality and protection against discrimination on the basis of caste, creed, colour and religion were fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution.
"These are the principles given to us by Babasaheb Dr B.R. Ambedkar. The Constitution has given us these rights. The right to equality and protection against discrimination based on caste, creed, colour and religion are the soul of our Constitution," Himral said.
Earlier in the day, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami denied Congress allegations that people associated with BJP carried out a "purification" (shuddhikaran) ritual at Haldwani's Ramlila Ground following Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge's rally. Dhami attributed the ritual to independent organisations protesting hurt religious sentiments, while accusing Congress of falsely giving the incident a "Dalit angle."
"Kharge ji is a highly respectable national leader. His insult can never even be thought of. A few organisations protested there over the hurting of religious sentiments; the Congress party attempted to give it a Dalit angle," Dhami said.
Earlier on Thursday, a row also erupted in the Rajya Sabha after Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of carrying out a 'Shuddhikaran' (purification) ritual of the stage at Uttarakhand's Haldwani.
Kharge addressed a Congress rally at Ramlila Maidan on August 8 as part of the party's preparations for the 2027 Uttarakhand Assembly election.
Replying to this, Leader of the House JP Nadda condemned the alleged incident while asserting that the BJP does not subscribe to such activities.
Nadda also said that the BJP will surely investigate the allegations raised by Mallikarjun Kharge.
"What Kharge ji has said is truly a matter of concern--not just for the Congress party, but for all of us. Kharge ji has said that those who did this were BJP people. I want to make it absolutely clear that the BJP does not subscribe to such activities," he said.
"However, since you have raised the issue, we will have it investigated. But let me reiterate that the BJP does not support or endorse such activities. It is a matter of regret for all of us," the BJP leader emphasised.