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Rahul Gandhi frames the political battle as one between Ambedkar’s Constitution and BJP-RSS ideology.

New Delhi: Twenty days after the venue of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s public meeting in Uttarakhand’s Haldwani was purified, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Saturday again slammed the BJP and the RSS, saying that the practice is “another name for untouchability” and that such an act is a crime under the Constitution.

He dubbed the purification ritual a “crime” and said Prime Minister Narendra Modi must order the registration of an FIR in the matter.

The issue started after Kharge addressed the ‘Vijay Shankhnaad’ rally at Haldwani’s Ramlila ground on August 8, 2026, and members of the Shri Ram Sena reportedly performed the ‘purification’ ritual at the same site two days later. The Sena claimed that the purification was done to cleanse the place of the polluting slogans raised against the BJP and RSS by the Congress.

Kharge had also raised the issue in the Rajya Sabha, linking the incident to his identity as a Dalit leader and alleging that it was an attempt to portray him as “untouchable”.

Kharge said he did not mention any community or religion during his speech at the venue.

Addressing a press conference at the new party headquarters, Rahul Gandhi said, “Our CLP leader (Tikaram Juli) in Rajasthan visits a temple, and BJP leaders perform a ‘purification’ ritual. Congress President Kharge ji, who has dedicated his entire life to the country and the Constitution, goes to the Ramlila Ground in Haldwani to deliver a speech, and a purification ritual is performed there. Who does this? It is the people from the BJP and RSS,” Rahul said.

He alleged that only BJP and RSS members do this, and that it is a crime.

“Under India’s Constitution, this is a crime, a criminal activity. ‘Purification’ is actually just another name for untouchability. Untouchability was outlawed, yet BJP members practise it openly,” he said.

The former Congress president asserted that the purification ritual suggested that Dalits were “unclean” and should not be touched.

“When they perform this purification, they are effectively saying that Dalits should not be touched, that Dalits are unclean, and this constitutes a crime under the Indian Constitution,” he said.

Rahul said, “We are demanding justice for the Congress president”.

“Give the Congress president justice in Uttarakhand. It is the duty of the central and state governments to ensure that Kharge gets justice,” he said.

He also asserted that Kharge “will get justice in Uttarakhand, whether it is today or tomorrow”.

Rahul Gandhi also said that a fight is under way in the country between two ideologies.

“On one side is the Constitution of India, the Constitution of Ambedkar, Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, and Sardar Patel. On the other is the ideology of the BJP and RSS. The politics currently playing out in India is between these two ideologies,” Rahul Gandhi said.

He also spoke about alleged caste-based discrimination and said Dalits continue to face discrimination despite constitutional safeguards.

“For thousands of years, Dalits in this country have been subjected to atrocities and violence. While the Constitution made this illegal, even today, Dalit children in schools are made to clean toilets and sweep and mop floors,” he said.

He urged people to think about the impact this has on the minds of the future generation, noting that children see some of their classmates sweeping, while those doing the sweeping see others who do not have to do so.

“This is the reality of India,” he added.

The Congress leader further alleged that caste discrimination was also visible in access to common resources such as water.

“Dalits are not allowed to drink water from wells. At tea stalls, there are two types of cups… During baraats, which should be a happy occasion, thousands of Dalits have to wear helmets when they climb the horse. This is the reality of UP, India and North India. You can see it in cities and villages,” he pointed out.

To a question about Kharge pointing out in the CWC that not many supported him, Rahul Gandhi said, “No, that’s not what he said. He said certain people didn’t support. I supported him and a whole lot of other people supported him.”

Rahul Gandhi, who was asked about the ongoing controversy over the publication of Sonia Gandhi’s memoir, said, “That’s a digression, I am not interested.”

“Our issue is that the Congress president should get justice,” he reiterated.

He also said that the Congress won’t let the Uttarakhand BJP chief Mahendra Bhatt, who had defended the purification of the venue, “escape” this incident.

Asked about Prime Minister Modi and BSP chief Mayawati not speaking on this issue, Rahul Gandhi said: “I have no interest in the silence. Our interest is in illegality… If the Prime Minister wants to speak or not, we have no interest. If Mayawatiji speaks or not, we have no interest.”