Hyderabad: Telangana Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy condemned the Haldwani purification ritual conducted at a venue where Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge had addressed a public meeting. He also criticised the FIR filed against Rahul Gandhi after he questioned the incident.
Uttam Kumar Reddy described the ritual as a deeply insulting act carrying caste discrimination. He said the subsequent police action against the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha exposed what he called the BJP’s double standards.
Kharge addressed the “Vijay Shankhnaad” public meeting at Ramleela Maidan in Haldwani on August 8. His speech focused on public issues and alleged government failures.
According to Uttam, Kharge did not refer to any religion or community during the address. He also did not speak against any particular group, the Minister said.
Two days later, on August 10, members of the Shriram Sena Dharmarth Seva Nyas conducted a ritual havan at the same venue. The organisers described it as a purification ceremony.
Kharge raised the issue in the Rajya Sabha on August 13. He said the incident had subjected him to the humiliation associated with untouchability.
Uttam said the issue extended beyond Kharge. He described the incident as an attack on the dignity of Dalits who had faced discrimination, social exclusion and humiliation across generations.
Haldwani purification ritual sparks political confrontation
The Haldwani purification ritual drew further criticism after Uttarakhand BJP president Mahendra Bhatt publicly defended the act. According to Uttam, Bhatt questioned what was wrong with purifying the ground after the programme.
Uttam said such public justification reflected what he described as a casteist and regressive mindset within the BJP-RSS system.
He also praised Rahul Gandhi for questioning the incident. At a press conference at the AICC headquarters in New Delhi on August 29, Rahul described such purification as another form of untouchability.
Rahul demanded action against those responsible under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, according to Uttam.
However, Uttam said police took a different course. Instead of acting against those who conducted the ritual, Uttarakhand Police registered an FIR against Rahul on August 30.
The police registered the case following a complaint from a member of the same organisation, Uttam said.
The Minister described the development as a reversal of justice. He questioned why those who conducted the ritual faced no action while those who opposed it faced a police case.
Uttam further alleged that BJP-ruled States were using investigative agencies to suppress voices questioning government actions and intimidate opposition leaders.
He said FIRs would not stop Rahul Gandhi or the Congress from opposing what he described as caste discrimination, hatred and intimidation.
Uttam said the Congress would continue to support Dalits, Adivasis, minorities, backward communities and other disadvantaged sections.
He also framed the dispute as a broader contest between constitutional values and the BJP-RSS ideology. He said the Constitution guaranteed freedom, equality, fraternity and social justice.
హల్ద్వానీ ‘శుద్ధీకరణ’, రాహుల్ గాంధీ జీ పై ఎఫ్ఐఆర్—బీజేపీ కులవాద, నిరంకుశ రాజకీయాలకు నిదర్శనం: ఉత్తమ్
ఉత్తరాఖండ్లోని హల్ద్వానీ రామ్లీలా మైదాన్లో కాంగ్రెస్ జాతీయ అధ్యక్షుడు శ్రీ మల్లికార్జున ఖర్గే జీ బహిరంగ సభ అనంతరం, ఆయన ప్రసంగించిన వేదికపై నిర్వహించిన ‘శుద్ధీకరణ’… pic.twitter.com/WOKHMEUVti
— Uttam Kumar Reddy (@UttamINC) September 1, 2026