Uttarakhand BJP chief defends ‘purification’ of Mallikarjun Kharge’s rally venue

Uttarakhand Bharatiya Janata Party chief Mahendra Bhatt justified the “purification” of the Ramlila Ground in Haldwani, where Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge held a rally earlier this month, saying the venue had been polluted by slogans, The Hindu reported on Wednesday.

Addressing the reporters after an event in Mussoorie, Bhatt said that the purification was not done against any person belonging to a Scheduled Caste.

“Those who have no real issues are the ones who raise matters that only damage and divide the society,” The Hindu quoted him as saying. He added that the place was purified because it was defiled and polluted by the slogans shouted during the rally.

Kharge had raised the matter in the Rajya Sabha on August 13, and demanded that those who performed the ritual be arrested. Union minister JP Nadda had said that the BJP “does not subscribe to such activities” and that the party would investigate the matter.

Nevertheless, Bhatt maintained that the “purification” was carried out because “slogans were raised that should not have been raised”, The Hindu reported. He did not clarify which utterances he was referring to.

Congress criticises Bhatt’s remarks

Reacting to Bhatt’s statement, Congress MP Pawan Khera said that “discrimination flows through the veins” of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and the BJP like blood.

The RSS is the parent organisation of the BJP.

Khera said on...

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