Congress to hold self-respect meeting over Haldwani ‘purification’ ritual
The Congress party's SC/ST Parliamentarians Forum has announced a protest meeting in Delhi to condemn a 'purification ritual' performed after a rally by Mallikarjun Kharge in Haldwani. The party alleges the incident reflects an anti-Dalit mindset within the BJP-led governments.
Why it matters
This event underscores the ongoing political friction regarding caste-based discrimination and the use of religious rituals in political discourse.
Stepping up its campaign against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) governments at the Centre and in Uttarakhand, the Congress’s SC/ST Parliamentarians Forum on Sunday (September 27, 2026) announced a ‘Dalit-Adivasi Self-Respect Meeting’ in Delhi on September 29 over the ‘purification ritual’ conducted in Haldwani last month after a rally addressed by party president Mallikarjun Kharge.
Speaking at a press conference, Congress MP Mallu Ravi said the incident reflected the mindset of the Uttarakhand and Union governments. He criticised the Uttarakhand government’s initial refusal to register an FIR in the matter. The FIR, he said, was registered after protests by the Congress.
“The Prime Minister, Home Minister and Uttarakhand Chief Minister have not yet condemned the incident,” Mr. Ravi said.
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