Congress leader and former Uttarakhand chief minister Harish Rawat on Tuesday observed a ‘maun vrat’ or vow of silence in Delhi to protest the FIR registered against Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi in connection with the Haldwani purification row.
Political Tensions Escalate Over Purification Ritual in Haldwani
The ongoing protest is part of a larger political clash between the Congress party and the BJP. This confrontation arises from an alleged ‘shuddhikaran’ or purification ritual that took place at Haldwani’s Ramlila Ground. The event followed a rally addressed by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, intensifying the existing tensions between the two parties.
Mallikarjun Kharge objected to the ritual and described it as an insult. He also raised the issue in Parliament. Congress leaders have alleged that the ritual was an act of caste discrimination and have linked it to the issue of untouchability. The BJP, however, has denied having any role in the ritual.
BJP leaders have said the Congress was giving a caste angle to the incident and accused it of misleading the Dalit community. The FIR was registered under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the SC/ST Act, following his remarks on the alleged purification ceremony, according to reports. “Whatever has happened against our party, president and senior leader Mallikarjun Kharge is completely unacceptable,” Rawat said.
The Congress has strongly objected to the FIR and has called it an attempt to target the Leader of Opposition for raising the issue of caste discrimination and freedom of expression.
Before holding maun vrat, Rawat said Rahul Gandhi had only spoken about what the Constitution and the law provide and questioned how an FIR could be registered against the Leader of Opposition.
