Uttarakhand Congress plans CM house march over ‘purification’ row after Kharge rally

DEHRADUN: The Uttarakhand Congress is preparing to march to Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami’s residence on September 7, intensifying its protest over the “purification” ritual conducted at the venue of party president Mallikarjun Kharge’s rally in Haldwani.

The party has accused the state government and police of failing to act against those involved, despite complaints being submitted to the governor, senior police officers and police stations across the state.

Kharge addressed a Congress rally at the Ramlila Maidan in Haldwani on August 8. A controversy erupted after a group performed a purification ritual at the venue following the event.

The Congress has described the incident as an insult to Kharge, one of the country’s most prominent Dalit leaders, and alleged that it reflected a “deeply discriminatory and casteist mindset”.

State Congress leaders are now mobilising workers from across Uttarakhand for the proposed march.

Party sources said Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and other senior national leaders could participate in the protest, though their attendance has not yet been formally confirmed.

Uttarakhand Congress president Ganesh Godiyal said the party would continue its agitation until action was taken against those responsible.

“Congress workers from across the state will march to the chief minister’s residence on September 7,” Godiyal said. “We will fight this battle over the purification incident to its logical conclusion.”

On the possibility of Gandhi joining the protest, he added: “We have not yet received a final programme confirming Rahul Gandhi’s participation.”

The Congress has also accused the BJP government of adopting double standards. It claimed that while no first information report had been registered over the alleged purification ritual, a case was filed against Gandhi in Haldwani “at the BJP’s behest”.

The party intends to keep the issue at the centre of its political campaign in the run-up to the next elections, portraying the episode as a test of the government’s commitment to social equality and justice.