The Congress announced “massive protest marches” on Monday evening over a first information report (FIR) registered against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in Uttarakhand, intensifying the political battle over some people “purifying” the Ramlila ground at Haldwani after Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge addressed a public meeting there.
Congress Denounces State-Sponsored Intimidation
The Indian National Congress has called for heightened mobilization and media outreach in response to perceived state-sponsored intimidation. A party representative emphasized that they will not be deterred by these tactics and will continue to advocate for social justice, constitutional equality, and the dignity of every citizen. This statement reflects the party’s commitment to fight against what it describes as witch-hunts targeting its members.
In a post on X, Surjewala said, ”By registering an FIR against Shri Rahul Gandhi, the cowardly BJP government has revealed its true face. The Leader of the Opposition in the country and Congress President, Shri Mallikarjun Kharge ji, has publicly stated both inside and outside Parliament how the incident of purifying the stage after his speech deeply hurt his sentiments. Meanwhile, from CM Dhami to the BJP National General Secretary, they are all dispensing wisdom on the justification of this incident.
Venugopal said the party’s fight against those who attack the values of social justice enshrined in the Constitution should continue and asked all party leaders at the state and district levels to participate in the protests. “He highlighted the issue of untouchability and humiliation carried out in the name of “purification” after the rally of Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge Ji in Uttarakhand, and demanded action against the BJP workers involved in it.
“The BJP’s blatant defence of this casteist behaviour and its shameless weaponisation of the state machinery to target the Leader of the Opposition unequivocally proves that they are the biggest perpetrators or protectors of social injustice today. The FIR, registered on a complaint by Amit Kumar, a member of Shri Ram Sena Dharmarth Seva Nyas, accused Gandhi of offences under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 and sections 196 (promoting enmity between classes) and 299 (malicious acts to outrage religious feelings) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
Congress general secretary KC Venugopal said the FIR against Rahul Gandhi was a “shameless weaponisation of the state machinery” to target the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha. The FIR said Gandhi wrongly described the cleaning and havan ritual as an act of “untouchability” and an atrocity against the Scheduled Caste community without verifying the facts. They have demonstrated that they will deploy the entire might of the state to suppress anyone who dares to speak out against caste-based discrimination and Dalit atrocities,” he said.
