Haldwani: Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has responded to Rahul Gandhi’s allegations over the controversy surrounding the alleged purification ritual conducted at Ramlila Maidan following Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s rally.
The Chief Minister said that the people who participated in the purification programme were neither BJP office-bearers nor party workers. He claimed that religious organisations had organised the programme in protest against alleged religious provocation and objectionable slogans at the Ramlila venue.
Dhami said that Ramlila Maidan is a sacred place where religious events are held. According to him, slogans allegedly associated with religious extremism were raised during the rally, prompting religious organisations to organise the purification programme in protest.
Responding to Rahul Gandhi’s allegations of caste discrimination, Dhami said that the claim that anyone is discriminated against on the basis of caste in Uttarakhand cannot be accepted. Addressing the people of Haldwani, he asked who in the state today would accept that caste discrimination exists there. He said that the state is working under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the mantra of “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas, Sabka Prayas.”
The Chief Minister also referred to the history of the Congress party and targeted it by mentioning former Congress president Sitaram Kesri, former Deputy Prime Minister Babu Jagjivan Ram and Dr. B.R. Ambedkar. He alleged that the Congress did not give these leaders the respect they deserved during its periods in power.
Dhami accused the Congress of trying to turn the entire controversy into a political issue. He said the party had no issues left and was attempting to create a new political narrative through the controversy for electoral gains. He added that the people of Uttarakhand do not believe in insulting anyone on the basis of caste or identity and that the state has always welcomed people from different parts of the country.
