'Purify your minds': Oppn flays BJP over 'suddhikaran' at Kharge rally venue

New Delhi: Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav launched a scathing critique of the BJP on Thursday, accusing the party of conducting a "suddhikaran" of the Haldwani ground where Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, addressed a public rally. Yadav condemned the alleged act as "the most despicable form of social discrimination under BJP rule" and emphasized that the venue was "purified" due to Kharge's Dalit identity.

In a post on X, Yadav urged BJP members and associates to cleanse their minds instead of the platform with "the holy water of the Ganga." Yadav also questioned those who claim to promote social harmony but fail to accept equality, asking "Where now are those discriminatory people who preached so-called harmony but found equality unpalatable?"

He expressed the PDA's resolve to unite against what he termed social misconduct and mental harassment, stating, "The PDA society is no longer in the mood to tolerate its humiliation." Earlier, Kharge raised the issue in the Rajya Sabha, alleging that a hawan was performed at the Ram Lila Ground in Haldwani after his public speech, despite his speech not targeting any specific community or religion.