Dehradun (Uttarakhand) [India], August 29 : Uttarakhand Leader of Opposition (LoP) Yashpal Arya on Saturday said that around 300-400 Congress leaders and workers will observe a silent fast accompanied by Ramdhun at the Ramlila Ground in Haldwani.
The silent fast is scheduled to be held on Sunday.
Speaking to ANI over the phone, Arya said the protest is being organised to oppose the alleged failure of the police to take action against those involved in a "purification" ritual reportedly conducted at the Ramlila Ground after Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge's rally on August 8.
Arya said Congress leaders had repeatedly approached the district administration and police seeking permission to hold the peaceful protest at the venue on Sunday. However, he alleged that the authorities had been reluctant to grant permission.
He said he had also informed the area Circle Officer (CO) that a large number of Congress workers would still assemble at the Ramlila Ground and participate in the silent fast even if the permission was not granted despite repeated requests.
"The silent-fast protest will be held under all circumstances," Arya asserted.
The Congress leader said the proposed protest would remain peaceful and would include a silent fast and Ramdhun.
The Congress has been demanding action against those responsible for the alleged "purification" ritual following Kharge's rally, with the issue now becoming a point of political contention in Uttarakhand.
Earlier, Leader of Opposition (LoP) Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi attacked the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) over the recent 'purification' ritual at a venue in Uttarakhand where Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge had addressed a rally, calling the practice "another name for untouchability" and alleging that it amounts to a crime under the Constitution.
Addressing a press conference in Delhi, Gandhi said the country was witnessing a political contest between the ideology of the Constitution and that of the BJP and RSS.
"Our CLP leader in Rajasthan visits a temple, and BJP leaders perform a 'purification' ritual. Congress President Kharge ji, who has dedicated his entire life to the country and the Constitution, goes to the Ramlila Ground in Haldwani to deliver a speech, and a purification ritual is performed there. Who does this? It is the people from the BJP and RSS," Gandhi said.
"Only BJP and RSS members do this, and it is a crime. Under India's Constitution, this is a crime, a criminal activity. 'Purification' is actually just another name for untouchability. Untouchability was outlawed, yet BJP members practice it openly," he added.
Gandhi said the ritual conveyed that Dalits were "unclean" and should not be touched."When they perform this purification, they are effectively saying that Dalits should not be touched, that Dalits are unclean, and this constitutes a crime under the Indian Constitution," he said.
Gandhi further said the larger political contest in the country was between two opposing ideologies.
"A fight is underway in the country between two ideologies. On one side is the Constitution of India, the Constitution of Ambedkar, Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, and Sardar Patel. On the other is the ideology of the BJP and RSS. The politics currently playing out in India is between these two ideologies," Gandhi said.
The Haldwani controversy stems from a Congress rally held at Ramlila Maidan on August 8, ahead of the 2027 Uttarakhand Assembly elections. Members of a right-wing group later performed a purification ritual at the venue, triggering criticism from Congress leaders.
Kharge also raised the issue in the Rajya Sabha, linking the ritual to his identity as a Dalit leader and alleging that it was an attempt to portray him as "untouchable".
Kharge had said that he did not mention any community or religion during his speech at the venue.
"But after my speech, people associated with the BJP carried out a 'purification' ritual of that stage. You may have read about this in the newspapers. Is this the way things should happen in a democracy? How are you protecting the Constitution?" Kharge had said.
He later took to X and said he did not want the incident to be politicised, while calling for strict legal action and demanding that a case be filed under the Untouchability Act against those who conducted the ritual.