Congress has history of insulting Dalits, says Nitin Nabin on ‘purification’ issue

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national president Nitin Nabin claimed on Wednesday that the Congress party has a "history of insulting Dalits" and uses the community as a "vote bank" after Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge addressed a rally in Haldwani, Uttarakhand. Speaking at a BJP state executive committee meeting, Nabin accused Congress of attempting to politicize the incident and questioned the party's support for prominent Dalit leaders such as B R Ambedkar and Babu Jagjivan Ram.

The event led to an FIR being registered by the Uttarakhand Police on August 9, 2022, against unidentified individuals for allegedly purifying Ramlila Maidan, where Kharge had spoken on August 8. The police received around 80 complaints and petitions over the incident. Nabin likened the Congress party's actions to those of the Nehru government, which allegedly defied Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar's wishes during the Constitution drafting process.

He also cited Jagjivan Ram, another prominent Dalit Congress leader, stating that the party's actions towards him forced his resignation. Nabin highlighted other alleged attacks on Dalits in Rajasthan, Karnataka, and Kerala, accusing Congress leaders of remaining silent due to electoral considerations.