BJP chief Nitin Nabin hits out at Congress over Haldwani 'purification' row
BJP president Nitin Nabin accused Congress of insulting Dalits and using them as a vote bank, citing historical instances and recent incidents.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national president Nitin Nabin on Wednesday accused the Congress of a "history of insulting Dalits" and treating the community as a "vote bank". His remarks came in Haldwani at the party's extended state executive committee meeting, in response to the alleged "purification" of a rally venue used by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge last month.
Nabin questioned the Congress's record on Dalit icons, referencing the electoral defeat of B.R. Ambedkar and the treatment of former deputy prime minister Babu Jagjivan Ram. He claimed the Congress forced Jagjivan Ram to leave the party. He also cited recent incidents in Rajasthan, Karnataka, and Kerala, alleging attacks on Dalit leaders and workers while Congress leaders remained silent.
The controversy stems from an alleged purification ceremony at Ramlila Maidan in Haldwani after Kharge's August 8 rally. Uttarakhand Police have registered an FIR against unidentified persons under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. A separate FIR was earlier filed against Rahul Gandhi for his remarks on the incident.
The BJP's state executive committee adopted a resolution supporting the government's stance on the issue. Nabin also linked the dispute to concerns over demographic change in Uttarakhand, asserting that those who harm the state's demography cannot love its soil. He framed the 2027 election campaign as a test of the party's ideology in the state.