BJP and Congress spar over FIR against Rahul Gandhi after his demand for action over Haldwani rally venue ‘purification’ remarks. NEW DELHI: The war of words between BJP and Congress escalated Monday as the opposition party slammed the FIR against Rahul Gandhi after he demanded action over “purification” of the Haldwani rally venue as reflective of his rival’s “abhorrently casteist behaviour” and BJP saying he was belatedly raking up the issue because of Mallikharjun Kharge’s threat to quit as Congress chief.The sparring between the two parties came a day after Uttarakhand Police registered a case against Rahul under various BNS sections, besides SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, after the complainant, a Dalit, alleged he had given a caste angle to the cleaning work coupled with a religious ritual at Ramlila Maidan, the rally venue.Congress released a video with the title “cases are my medals” with Rahul’s comments – “There are 36 cases against me. I am not afraid of Narendra Modi. But the truth is if anyone is scared, it is Modi.”Senior Congress functionary Sachin Pilot asked if seeking justice is a crime. “Voice for justice cannot be suppressed under the weight of FIRs. The anti-dalit face of BJP stands exposed,” he said, referring to Congress’s claim that “purification” of the dais happened because Kharge, a Dalit, had addressed a meeting from it.Join conversationView All Comments →Share your thoughts in the commentsInsightfulAgreeDisagreeSkepticalConcerningPromisingWorth ReadingBig DevelopmentPost CommentBe respectful · TOI community guidelinesBJP spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia said, “Rahul slept for nearly three weeks…” It seems Rahul took it up only after Kharge told him what is the point in staying in Congress when his own issue is not being raised, he added.Uttarakhand CM said people in the state are not even aware of Kharge’s caste, and cited the defence of organisers, which had members from Scheduled Castes, that they cleaned the dais because it, stage for annual Ram Lila, had been left littered.Get the latest India News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.End of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideosNepal Flood Crisis: 8,900 Army Personnel Deployed As Search For Missing People ContinuesDelhi Draft Voter Roll Out: 47.7 Lakh Electors Excluded, Claims Allowed Till September 30Akhilesh Yadav’s Big Attack On UP Govt; Divya Mittal Resignation & Meerut Custody RowIndus Waters Row: India Rejects Hague Court’s Jurisdiction, Says Treaty Suspension Will Continue’Dumped 40 KM Away In Delhi’: Teen Allegedly Gang-Raped In Empty Sleeper Bus, Two Accused ArrestedLVM3 Tech Transfer: Adani, Mahindra Among Firms Eyeing ISRO’s ‘Bahubali’ RocketPM Modi Meets Pezeshkian In Bishkek, Reiterates ‘Friendship With Iran’ Amid West Asia Conflict‘Babur’s Country Honoured Modi’: Owaisi Takes Dig At BJP, RSS As PM Gets Uzbekistan’s Top Award’One May Call Bharat Superpower But…’: RSS Chief Bhagwat’s ‘Vishwaguru’ Msg In Canada‘Islam Is Greater Than Other Dharams’: Karnataka Minister Sparks Row, BJP Calls Cong ‘Anti-Hindu’123PhotostoriesFrom quitting his well-paying engineering job in Dubai to Sonalika Joshi recommending him for Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah; When Mandar Chandwadkar recalled his journeyBigg Boss Telugu through the years: A look back at all seasonsVaibhav Suryavanshi breaks all-time Duleep Trophy record as a teenager: Times the young cricketer has made historyThe glass-skin obsession: Can Indian skin really achieve that mirror-like glow?Personality test optical illusion: Only sharp-eyed people can find all the hidden deer in this image within 11 secondsTamannaah Bhatia just made Rs 2.43 lakh look like a personality trait in this Aisha Rao ivory ensembleNew OTT releases this week (August 31-September 6): ‘Gandhari’, ‘Dhamaal 4’, ‘The Gentlemen’ Season 2, ‘Untold Raygun: Breaking Badly’ and moreTravelling by train in India? 10 things you should never do on a journeySamantha Ruth Prabhu joins the polka-dot club, and maternity fashion just got a lot more funBigg Boss Malayalam: A look back at seven unforgettable seasons123Hot PicksNepal floodMumbai port fireGandak riverMumbai milk priceDelhi rapeWeather tomorrowTN milk price hikeGATE 2027 registrationIndia GDP growthTop TrendingCanyon Flash FloodStuart BroadBabaz AzamNovak DjokovicUS Iran WarTravis Kelce BusinessKai CenatCoco GauffsNaomi OsakaLebron James
NEW DELHI: The war of words between BJP and Congress escalated Monday as the opposition party slammed the FIR against Rahul Gandhi after he demanded action over “purification” of the Haldwani rally venue as reflective of his rival’s “abhorrently casteist behaviour” and BJP saying he was belatedly raking up the issue because of Mallikharjun Kharge’s threat to quit as Congress chief.The sparring between the two parties came a day after Uttarakhand Police registered a case against Rahul under various BNS sections, besides SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, after the complainant, a Dalit, alleged he had given a caste angle to the cleaning work coupled with a religious ritual at Ramlila Maidan, the rally venue.Congress released a video with the title “cases are my medals” with Rahul’s comments – “There are 36 cases against me. I am not afraid of Narendra Modi. But the truth is if anyone is scared, it is Modi.”Senior Congress functionary Sachin Pilot asked if seeking justice is a crime. “Voice for justice cannot be suppressed under the weight of FIRs. The anti-dalit face of BJP stands exposed,” he said, referring to Congress’s claim that “purification” of the dais happened because Kharge, a Dalit, had addressed a meeting from it.
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BJP spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia said, “Rahul slept for nearly three weeks…” It seems Rahul took it up only after Kharge told him what is the point in staying in Congress when his own issue is not being raised, he added.Uttarakhand CM said people in the state are not even aware of Kharge’s caste, and cited the defence of organisers, which had members from Scheduled Castes, that they cleaned the dais because it, stage for annual Ram Lila, had been left littered.
