New Delhi: The Opposition parties on Saturday strongly condemned the alleged lack of action against those involved in the ‘shuddhikaran (purification)’ ritual held in Uttarakhand’s Haldwani following a public rally addressed by Congress National President Mallikarjun Kharge, describing the incident as an “insult” to the entire nation and a serious affront to constitutional values.
A Zero FIR has been registered in Bengaluru following a complaint that a “shuddhikaran (purification)” ritual was conducted at Ramlila Ground in Uttarakhand’s Haldwani after Congress National President Mallikarjun Kharge addressed a public rally at the venue on August 8, 2026.
Reacting to the development, Congress MP Manoj Kumar, speaking to IANS, described the incident as “deeply unfortunate” and questioned why no action had been taken against those allegedly responsible.
“This insult was an insult to the entire country. This insult was an insult to the entire Dalit community. This was an insult to all Members of Parliament across India, Rajya Sabha MPs and all public representatives,” he said.
Recalling the assurance given in Parliament, Manoj Kumar said that Rajya Sabha Leader of the House J.P. Nadda had described the incident as unfortunate and had stated that action should be taken against those responsible.
“I want to ask the BJP: When will you take action? Even now, all your leaders in Haldwani and neighbouring areas — what kind of statements are they making? What are they saying even after performing purification rituals? When will you take action? When will an FIR be registered against them? Yes, a Zero FIR was filed in Bengaluru, but when will the Haldwani police wake up? When will the local administration and government here wake up?” he questioned.
“Just because your government is in power does not mean you can shield wrongdoers,” he added.
Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MP, Manoj Kumar Jha, speaking to IANS, also criticised the alleged ritual and questioned the use of such language and practices in contemporary India.
“Why are such words being used? These are words of medieval barbarism. Leave aside one citizen and another citizen. Kharge Sahib’s stature is very high; how can a common citizen behave like this against a fellow citizen? This destroys the values of the Constitution,” Jha said.
He recalled the discussion in the Rajya Sabha, saying, “I was there in the Rajya Sabha when Kharge Ji raised this issue, and Nadda Ji had called it unfortunate; however, so many days have passed, and no action has been taken yet. This shows how little the character of the country has changed.”
The Opposition’s criticism comes after the alleged ‘shuddhikaran’ ritual at Ramlila Ground in Haldwani triggered a political controversy.
The BJP, however, have maintained that the ritual was not related to the Congress rally.
Speaking to the reporters, former BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh alleged, “When elections draw near, Rahul Gandhi will turn into a Hindu. Right now, he is displaying anti-Hindu sentiment. The controversy perhaps began because a Congress event was held there earlier, followed by a BJP event.”
“The BJP holds its events with all proper traditions; we perform pooja before every programme. The same thing happened there. However, for its appeasement politics, the Congress party is linking it to the rally,” he added.
(IANS)
