NEW DELHI: Leader of the opposition in Rajya Sabha and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge alleged in RS Thursday people associated with BJP “purified” the stage at Ramlila Maidan in Haldwani, two days after he made a speech there on Aug 8.Leader of the House J P Nadda said BJP did not support such activities, the incident was “painful” and action would be taken against the culprits.Raising the issue during zero hour, Kharge said, “I did not mention the name of any caste or religion, I only spoke about the problems of the people. But with great pain, I have to say that after my speech, BJP people performed a ‘havan’ (ritual) there and carried out purification of the stage. Is this the way democracy works? How are you protecting the Constitution?”Kharge demanded that cases be registered under Untouchability Act and those involved be arrested.Nadda said the issue shouldn’t be politicised or sensationalised. “There will be a detailed investigation. Let me make it clear that BJP never subscribes to such activities. I condemn this. The incident has hurt your (Kharge) sentiments and it is a matter of regret for all of us,” he said.Some MPs were heard saying that those behind the purification were protesting against the raising of slogans associated with a particular religion, because the ground also happened to be a venue for Ramlilas. Chairman C P Radhakrishnan, however, didn’t allow anyone besides Kharge and Nadda to speak.Kharge said he had never told anyone he needed protection because he was a Dalit. “I have the strength to fight, and I do fight. But the purification of the stage made me feel the pain of untouchability and humiliated me,” he said.
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Radhakrishnan said, “We all condemn untouchability. We are all purified. Those who have done this wrong will be investigated, they should be caught and punished. There are no two opinions on this.”Later, calling the incident “reflective of RSS-BJP’s mindset”, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said PM Narendra Modi must apologise for the caste prejudice shown towards Kharge. AICC general secretary K C Venugopal said the act went “against everything that Ambedkar and the Constitution tell us”.
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