BJP rejects caste angle in Haldwani row, accuses Rahul Gandhi of polarising

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday rejected allegations of caste discrimination in an incident at a rally venue in Haldwani, Uttarakhand, and accused Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi of stoking social divisions for political gain.

At a joint press conference, BJP leaders Guru Prakash Paswan and Sudhanshu Trivedi presented video testimonies of two Scheduled Caste eyewitnesses who were part of a group that cleaned the venue and organised a havan there. The witnesses denied any caste-based mistreatment, countering Mr. Gandhi's claim that a "purification" ceremony was held after Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge's event.

Mr. Trivedi argued that the Congress's 20-day delay in raising the matter and demanding an FIR indicated there was no genuine grievance. He suggested a counter-FIR could be filed, without specifying against whom. Mr. Paswan described the Congress as "anti-Dalit" and "neo-feudal," citing the treatment of leaders like Babasaheb Ambedkar and Babu Jagjivan Ram, who he said had to leave the party.

Mr. Paswan also pointed to the lack of SC, ST, and OBC Chief Ministers in Congress-ruled states, contrasting this with BJP-led governments that have appointed leaders from these communities to top posts, including President Droupadi Murmu. Mr. Trivedi alleged that the Congress repeatedly raises identity issues with the aim of making "Hindus fight among themselves," and cited instances of violence against Dalits in Rajasthan and Karnataka as evidence of the party's failure to protect them.