Mallikarjun Kharge criticizes Congress leaders over Haldwani ritual silence

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge expressed deep disappointment during a Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting regarding the silence of senior party leaders over a recent “purification” ritual in Haldwani, Uttarakhand. The incident, described as a ‘shuddhikaran havan’, took place at Ramlila Maidan shortly after Kharge addressed a public rally there.

Kharge stated that the ritual made him feel humiliated and reminded him of the pain of untouchability. He criticized senior leaders who frequently receive media attention—referring to them without naming names as “good-looking people”—for failing to publicly condemn the act. While the Congress party alleges the organizers had links to the BJP and RSS, the BJP has denied any connection to the event.

The CWC subsequently passed a resolution condemning the incident and demanding an apology from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. General Secretary K.C. Venugopal characterized the episode as a reflection of a discriminatory mindset. Additionally, Kharge used the meeting to criticize the central government’s policies regarding youth employment and raised concerns regarding alleged theft of offerings from the Ram Mandir.