Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday, August 29, renewed his attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), saying that a battle between two ideologies is underway in the country.
Referring to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Gandhi alleged that a “purification” ritual was carried out when Kharge visited Haldwani and claimed that BJP and RSS workers were behind it.
Gandhi said the ritual amounted to a criminal offence and alleged that no action had been taken despite Kharge raising the issue in Parliament.
“Purification is a crime, a criminal offence. The purification was done on August 10 and on August 13, Kharge ji said in the House that he had been insulted. Has any action been taken so far? Our demand is that an FIR should be registered against those who did this as soon as possible. This act is a violation of the SC/ST Act. Performing a ‘purification’ ritual is a crime, yet no action has been taken,” Gandhi said.
Gandhi said Prime Minister Narendra Modi claims to belong to every caste and to be the Prime Minister of the entire country. However, he alleged that the head of the Prime Minister’s party had said that the “purification” was justified.
“We want the Prime Minister to immediately order an FIR under the SC/ST Act against these people. It is the responsibility of both the state and central governments to ensure that Kharge ji gets justice in Uttarakhand,” he said.
Gandhi said the matter was not limited to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge but concerned every Dalit person in India.
“This is not just an issue concerning Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge ji, but it is an issue concerning every Dalit person in India. If such behaviour can be carried out openly and without hesitation against our national president, imagine what could be happening to a child in school. This is not acceptable to us,” he said.
Gandhi said the Congress’ fight was against the ideology of the BJP and RSS, which he alleged promotes discrimination and inequality.
Gandhi said the country was witnessing a battle between two ideologies — one represented by BR Ambedkar, Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, and the other by the RSS and BJP.
“For thousands of years, injustice has been done to Dalits, and even today, Dalit children are being made to sweep schools and clean toilets. When a Dalit rides a horse at a wedding, they wear helmets so that stones are not thrown at them. The more successful a Dalit becomes, the bigger the attack on them,” he said.
