'Matter of great shame': Opposition blames BJP, RSS over Kharge event venue ‘purification’ row

New Delhi, Aug 13 (IANS) The opposition parties, led by the Congress, on Thursday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) of playing a role in the alleged "purification" of Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge's event venue in Uttarakhand's Haldwani, calling it a "matter of great shame" for the country. 

Kharge mentioned the purported incident in the Rajya Sabha earlier in the day, on the last day of the Monsoon Session of Parliament.

Reacting to it, Congress MP Kumari Selja said: "It is a matter of shame for the BJP-RSS and their ideology. On one hand, they are organising 'Tiranga Yatras' while on the other, the principle of equality enshrined in the Constitution is being violated."

Speaking to IANS, she remarked that it is not the venue that needs purification, "but the mindset behind such actions".

"Uttarakhand needs to be purified of this ideology, this mentality, and this discriminatory thinking," she added.

Azad Samaj Party-Kanshi Ram chief and MP Chandrashekhar Azad asked: "How long will Dalits, backwards, tribals, and religious minorities have to endure such insult in this country?"

"We belong to different parties, but if you insult people on the basis of caste, we will not tolerate this injustice. The government must answer why this was done," he told IANS.

Echoing a similar view, RJD MP Manoj Kumar Jha said: "It is a matter of great shame...we will celebrate Independence Day on August 15 but what has the country been reduced to? The cruelty of the caste system that prevailed during the medieval age is prevalent even today."

Congress MP Tariq Anwar asked that if Scheduled Castes or Dalits are treated in this manner even after more than 70 years of Independence, how will they become part of the country's mainstream?

"If feelings of untouchability and discrimination still persist against them, it is extremely unfortunate for our nation," he told IANS.

Referring to the purported incident, Congress MP Rajeev Shukla said: "It is very unfortunate to stoop to this level in politics."

Moreover, he urged Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami to address the reported incident.

Congress MP Imran Pratapgarhi also lashed out at the BJP, saying: "They cannot tolerate that such a prominent Dalit leader, the national president of the Congress party, held an event in Haldwani. This is the real character, conduct and face of the Bharatiya Janata Party, and this is their thinking towards Dalits and backward communities."

Trinamool Congress MP Kirti Azad added: "RSS, VHP, and BJP should purify their own conscience. Save the country, save the students, save them from donation theft. This drama is not new to me."

--IANS

cg/vd