NEW DELHI: Bharatiya Janata Party on Saturday refuted allegations made by Lok Sabha leader of opposition Rahul Gandhi that a “purification” ritual was performed after Mallikarjun Kharge’s event in Uttarakhand, calling it a bid to divide society along caste lines.In a press conference, BJP national spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi said, “There was no caste angle to this. But as I said, they have lost their creativity, so every time they remain busy finding new ways to create conflict in India using their same worn-out lines.”“And I want to ask the Congress party: If you genuinely have so much concern for the Dalit community, then on July 18, 2019, Harish Jatav was brutally attacked in Bhiwadi, and he died by suicide on August 15. Whose government was it? It was a Congress government,” he added.Earlier in the day, Rahul addressed a press conference at Congress headquarters and said the incident was “another name for untouchability” and that such an act was a crime under the Constitution.
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“Our CLP leader in Rajasthan visits a temple, and BJP leaders perform a ‘purification’ ritual. Congress President Kharge ji, who has dedicated his entire life to the country and the Constitution, goes to the Ramlila Ground in Haldwani to deliver a speech, and a purification ritual is performed there. Who does this? It is the people from the BJP and RSS,” Rahul said.“Only BJP and RSS members do this, and it is a crime. Under India’s Constitution, this is a crime, a criminal activity. ‘Purification’ is actually just another name for untouchability. Untouchability was outlawed, yet BJP members practise it openly,” he added.He also said that Dalits continue to face discrimination despite constitutional safeguards.“For thousands of years, Dalits in this country have been subjected to atrocities and violence. While the Constitution made this illegal, even today, Dalit children in schools are made to clean toilets and sweep and mop floors,” he said.
