Congress hits out at BJP over FIR against Rahul Gandhi in Haldwani row

The Congress on Monday lashed out at the BJP after an FIR was filed against Rahul Gandhi over his recent remarks about a 'shuddhikaran ceremony' at the venue where party chief Mallikarjun Kharge addressed a rally in Uttarakhand's Haldwani, and vowed that it would not rest until the true culprits are punished and this "frivolous FIR is thrown in the dustbin".

After the FIR, the opposition party said the Congress will give a fitting response to it through democratic and legal means.

Reacting to the FIR, Congress general secretary, organisation, K C Venugopal said a day after Gandhi's "bold" press conference demanding that BJP workers be prosecuted for the 'purification' done after Congress president Kharge's rally, the Uttarakhand Police has filed an FIR against Gandhi himself.

"This is nothing but the pot calling the kettle black!" Venugopal said on X.

What is worse is that the BJP has actually jumped in to defend this abhorrently casteist behaviour - showing to the entire world that they are the biggest perpetrators of social injustice today, he alleged.

"They are willing to put the entire might of the state to attack those who speak against Dalit atrocities. What the BJP has done is to attack the values of social justice enshrined in the Constitution, and the Congress will fight against this attack tooth and nail," Venugopal said.

"We will not rest until the true culprits of the insult to Kharge ji are punished, and this frivolous FIR against Rahul ji is thrown in the dustbin," he said.

This evening, Congress workers across the country will be on the streets demanding prosecution of the BJP leaders who insulted the AICC chief and to defend the Constitution against the BJP's assault on its values of social justice, Venugopal said.

Congress general secretary in-charge Uttarakhand Kumari Selja said, "No action against those who conducted the 'purification' ritual after Congress President Shri Mallikarjun Kharge ji's public meeting, but an FIR against Leader of Opposition Shri Rahul Gandhi ji for raising his voice against that casteist act. Is this the justice of the BJP government?"

First, the 'purification' was carried out and then, the Uttarakhand BJP president openly defended it, she said in a post in Hindi on X.

And now, when Rahul Gandhi demanded legal action against the culprits, the BJP government in Uttarakhand has instead filed a case against him, Selja said.

This is no coincidence but it is a deeply serious example of the BJP-RSS's "anti-Dalit and anti-Constitution" mindset, she alleged.

"Shri Rahul Gandhi ji raised the same question that Congress President Shri Mallikarjun Kharge ji himself had already raised in Parliament: that this act of 'purification' made him feel the sting of untouchability and humiliated him," she said.

"But look at the BJP government's approach. Raise questions about those who conducted the 'purification' - FIR. Talk about Dalit dignity - FIR. Raise your voice for the Constitution - FIR," Selja said

Why is Prime Minister Narendra Modi silent on this entire matter, Selja asked.

The BJP-RSS should dispel this illusion that the fear of cases will make Rahul Gandhi or the Congress back down, she said.

"This is the Gandhi family, which has a history of sacrifice and dedication for the country. Neither FIRs nor the pressure of power can intimidate or silence this voice," she asserted.

The Congress will give a fitting response to this through democratic and legal means, Selja said.

"The fight against the casteist mentality behind the 'purification' -- and for the protection of Dalit dignity and the Constitution -- will be waged with full force," she said.

Congress' media and publicity department head Pawan Khera urged people to stop making an issue out of the FIR against Gandhi.

"Will heavens fall that a person against whom the BJP has filed 40-50 cases across the country has one more FIR lodged against him?" Khera said in a post in Hindi on X.

"The real issue isn't the FIR against Rahul ji. The real issue is that of 'purification.' Look at the intentions of the BJP and the Uttarakhand government. The person who raised their voice against purification - an FIR was immediately filed against them," he said.

But against those who carried out and orchestrated the purification, not even a single FIR has been filed to this day, he said.

"Shri @kharge ji stood up in Parliament and said that purification has taken place. It is the responsibility of the Uttarakhand government to file an FIR. Whatever else happened, who did it, why it was done - that will come to light in the investigation. So why the fear of registering an FIR?" Khera said.

Why exactly is the BJP and the Uttarakhand government shying away from an FIR against the purification, he asked.

"Do they have no intention at all of ensuring the dignity and justice of Dalits?" Khera said.

An FIR has been registered against Rahul Gandhi, following a complaint by a member of the Valmiki community in Haldwani alleging that the Congress leader gave a casteist spin to a religious ritual held at the venue of the AICC chief's programme, police said on Sunday.

The FIR has been registered under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) concerning the promotion of enmity between groups and deliberate acts intended to outrage religious feelings. The Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, has also been invoked, police said.

Amit Kumar, a resident of Jawahar Nagar and a Shri Ram Sena Dharmarth Seva Nyas member, claimed in the complaint filed at the Haldwani police station that he was present during the "ritual and cleanliness drive" and Gandhi's remarks made in Delhi at a press conference on August 29 hurt the sentiments of the community.

He accused Gandhi of portraying those associated with the ritual as practising "untouchability" and being "anti-Dalit".

In the complaint, Kumar claimed that he belonged to the Scheduled Caste community and that people from different sections of society, including Scheduled Castes, were involved in the ritual, which, according to him, had "no connection" with Kharge's caste.

A political row erupted after some individuals allegedly performed a 'purification yajna' at the Ramlila Ground in Haldwani on August 11, following a public meeting held there by Kharge on August 8.

While the Congress has termed the incident a reflection of the BJP's anti-Dalit mindset, the BJP defended the action, claiming that the venue was left littered after Kharge's rally and that slogans were raised which were inappropriate for a religious site.

At a press conference in New Delhi on August 29, Gandhi criticised the incident and demanded registration of an FIR under the SC/ST Act against those responsible for the "purification".

Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra subsequently joined the demand for action, describing the incident as a reflection of a "reprehensible and shameful mindset" and alleging that it amounted to a violation of the SC/ST Act.