'Suddhikaran another name for untouchability': Rahul targets BJP, RSS

Lok Sabha Leader Rahul Gandhi criticized the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) over a purification ritual held at a site in Uttarakhand where Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge addressed a rally. Rahul labeled the practice as yet another form of untouchability, a crime under the Constitution.

He asserted that the BJP and RSS were the only ones engaged in this act, which was a blatant violation of India's constitutional values. The former Congress president argued that the ritual suggested Dalits were unclean and should not be touched.

Rahul emphasized that the current political contest in the nation is between two opposing ideologies: the Constitution of India, along with the values of Ambedkar, Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, and Sardar Patel, versus the ideology of the BJP and RSS. He highlighted ongoing caste-based discrimination and the continued atrocities faced by Dalits, despite constitutional safeguards.

Rahul alleged that Dalit children in schools were still forced to clean toilets and sweep floors, highlighting the impact on the minds of the younger generation.

The Congress leader also pointed out the existence of caste discrimination in accessing common resources, such as water. He claimed that Dalits were not permitted to drink from the village well, had to dig their own private wells, and faced discrimination at tea stalls, where they were offered paper or plastic cups instead of reusable glass ones used by others. Rahul denounced this as the reality of India, present in Uttar Pradesh and North India, affecting both cities and villages.

The Haldwani controversy revolved around a Congress rally held at Ramlila Maidan on August 8, 2023, ahead of the 2027 Uttarakhand assembly elections. Right-wing group members subsequently performed a purification ritual at the venue, sparking criticism from Congress leaders. Kharge had denounced the incident at the Rajya Sabha, linking it to his identity as a Dalit leader and accusing the BJP and RSS of attempting to portray him as untouchable.

He called for strict legal action under the Untouchability Act against those responsible for the ritual.