New Delhi, Aug 31 (IANS) As an FIR was lodged against Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi over his remarks on the alleged “purification of the venue by Uttarakhand Police”, the Congress on Monday said the action was the “biggest living proof” of the BJP’s frustration, desperation and anti-Dalit mindset.
Speaking to IANS, Congress MP Kumari Selja said the BJP was in power both at the Centre and in Uttarakhand and questioned how permission was granted for the alleged “purification” ritual at the venue of Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge’s programme.
“What does ‘the reverse’ even mean? Rahul raised a point. The BJP is in government, the BJP is in power at the Centre, it’s a so-called double-engine government, and they are in power in Uttarakhand as well. Whether they are ineffective governments is a different matter, but it is their government,” she said.
“So, considering what happened with the Congress President, and this so-called ‘purification’ ritual they conducted, how did you give permission for that? Do you accept this type of thinking? Tell us about that. And if Rahul Gandhi has raised this issue, then it’s like ‘Ulta chor kotwal ko dante’ (the pot calling the kettle black),” she added.
“What does it mean to file an FIR against Rahul Gandhi? See what happened with the Congress President and what happened with Rahul Gandhi. The country doesn’t accept this,” Selja told IANS.
Congress MP Randeep Singh Surjewala said: “The cowardly and anti-Dalit BJP government in Uttarakhand has filed an FIR against Rahul Gandhi over the purification matter. This is the biggest living proof of the BJP’s frustration, desperation and anti-Dalit mindset.”
AAP Delhi President Saurabh Bharadwaj said the FIR was an attempt to silence the Opposition.
“Overall, this is an attempt to silence the Opposition. Wherever they get an opportunity, BJP leaders file FIRs against Opposition leaders so that they remain silent,” he said.
An FIR was registered against Rahul Gandhi following a complaint by a member of the Valmiki community in Haldwani, who alleged that the Congress leader gave a casteist spin to a religious ritual held at the venue of the Congress chief’s programme, police said on Sunday.
The FIR was 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 member of the Shri Ram Sena Dharmarth Seva Nyas, claimed in his complaint filed at the Haldwani police station that he was present during the “ritual and cleanliness drive”. He alleged that Gandhi’s remarks at a press conference in Delhi on August 29 hurt the sentiments of the community.
Kumar accused Gandhi of portraying those associated with the ritual as practising “untouchability” and being “anti-Dalit”.
In his complaint, Kumar claimed that he belongs to the Scheduled Caste community and that people from different sections of society, including members of Scheduled Castes, were involved in the ritual, which, according to him, had “no connection” with Congress President Kharge’s caste.
–IANS
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