MP Congress leaders hit out at BJP over FIR against Rahul Gandhi

Bhopal, Aug 31 (IANS) Madhya Pradesh Congress leaders accused the BJP of insulting Dalits and then targeting Rahul Gandhi after an FIR was registered against the Lok Sabha Opposition Leader over his remarks on the Haldwani "purification" row. 

The Madhya Pradesh Congress leaders said action should have been taken against those who carried out the alleged purification ritual at the venue where Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge had held a public meeting, instead of registering a case against Gandhi.

Reacting to the matter, former Chief Minister Kamal Nath said the BJP had first insulted Dalits by carrying out the ritual and then registered an FIR against Gandhi when he raised the issue.

“When Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi protested against it, instead of taking action against the culprits, an FIR was registered against Rahul Gandhi himself under serious charges,” Kamal Nath said in a statement on Monday.

He alleged that the incident showed that the BJP not only insults Dalits but also harasses those who fight for their rights. “The Congress party stands firmly with Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi. The Dalit community across the country will teach the BJP a lesson for this injustice and humiliation,” Nath added.

Madhya Pradesh Congress president Jitu Patwari also attacked the BJP, alleging that it protected those responsible for the alleged incident and instead filed a case against Gandhi. “The narrow-minded BJP first got the rally venue of Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge ‘purified’. When Jan-Nayak Rahul Gandhi ji raised this serious issue of untouchability, an FIR was lodged against him,” Patwari said.

He alleged that the episode reflected the “anti-Dalit mindset” of the BJP-RSS and claimed that the party was trying to suppress the voices of Dalits and deprived people.

The reactions came a day after Uttarakhand Police registered an FIR against Gandhi following a complaint by a member of the Valmiki community in Haldwani.

According to information, the case was registered under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) relating to promotion of enmity between groups and deliberate acts intended to outrage religious feelings. The Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act was also invoked.

The complainant alleged that Gandhi had given a casteist interpretation to the religious ritual held at the venue of Kharge's programme.

The controversy erupted after a “purification yajna” was allegedly performed at the Ramlila Ground in Haldwani on August 11, three days after Kharge's public meeting.

Meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi is scheduled to visit Indore on September 12 to participate and address the ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ programme, according to the state Congress.

--IANS

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