New Delhi, August 2026 : Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Sunday stepped up her attack on the BJP over the alleged ‘shuddhikaran’ or purification of the stage at a rally addressed by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge in Uttarakhand’s Haldwani, demanding that Prime Minister Narendra Modi ensure an FIR is registered against those responsible.
Priyanka Gandhi said the alleged purification ceremony was not merely an objectionable act but also amounted to a violation of constitutional principles and provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. She called on the Prime Minister to ensure that those responsible face legal action.
“Congress President Shri Mallikarjun Kharge ji addressed a rally in Haldwani, after which people from BJP-RSS ‘purified’ his stage. This ‘purification’ is not only a symbol of an extremely reprehensible and shameful mindset but also a grave violation of our Constitution and the SC/ST Act, and a crime,” Priyanka Gandhi said in a post in Hindi on X.
She questioned why no action had been taken nearly 20 days after the alleged incident and asked the Prime Minister to demonstrate his commitment to the Constitution by ensuring that a case was registered.
“If Prime Minister Modi truly respects the Constitution of our country, then he should ensure that an FIR is filed against those who committed this crime in Uttarakhand and that action is taken under the SC/ST Act,” she said.
Priyanka Gandhi also shared a video of a press conference addressed by Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, who had raised the same issue and demanded action against those allegedly involved in the purification ceremony.
Addressing reporters at the Congress headquarters on Saturday, Rahul Gandhi described the incident as an expression of untouchability and attributed it to what he termed the “BJP-RSS mindset”. He demanded that the people responsible be booked under the SC/ST Act.
“The incident reflects the mindset of the BJP-RSS people who continue to practice untouchability, and they do not want Dalits to progress and live with respect and be successful,” Rahul Gandhi alleged.
He said the Congress was seeking justice for Kharge and argued that both the central and state governments had a responsibility to ensure that the Congress president received justice.
Rahul Gandhi also alleged that Uttarakhand BJP president Mahendra Bhatt had defended the purification ceremony while Prime Minister Modi had remained silent on the matter.
“We demand that an FIR be lodged against those who have done this. PM Modi states that he belongs to every caste and is the prime minister of the country, but his party chief of Uttarakhand defends ‘shuddhikaran’,” Rahul Gandhi said.
The Congress has separately accused Bhatt of justifying the alleged purification ceremony and questioned whether the BJP leadership would take action against him for allegedly defending what the opposition described as an act of untouchability.
Bhatt had reportedly argued that the venue had been polluted by slogans that were inappropriate for a religious setting and dismissed criticism of the ritual by opposition leaders. His remarks have since become a major point of contention between the Congress and BJP in Uttarakhand.
The alleged purification ceremony took place at Ramlila Maidan in Haldwani, where Kharge addressed a public gathering on August 8. Uttarakhand Congress president Ganesh Godiyal has alleged that the Shri Ram Sena carried out the ceremony and claimed that the organisation was associated with the BJP. The ruling party has strongly denied the allegation.
Kharge himself had raised the matter in the Rajya Sabha earlier this month. He demanded that cases be registered under laws dealing with untouchability against those involved and called for their arrest.
Responding to the issue, Leader of the House in the Rajya Sabha and Union Minister J.P. Nadda said the BJP did not support or subscribe to such activities. He also said the matter would be investigated.
The controversy has now escalated into a wider political confrontation, with the Congress demanding immediate criminal action and using the episode to question the BJP’s commitment to constitutional equality and social justice. The BJP, meanwhile, has maintained that it does not endorse such practices and has called for the incident to be investigated.
