FIR against Rahul Gandhi: Congress attacks BJP, vows to fight through democratic and legal means

The Congress on Monday sharply criticised the BJP after an FIR was registered against Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi over his remarks on an alleged purification ritual held at a venue in Haldwani where Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge had addressed a rallyThe opposition party accused the BJP of avoiding action against those allegedly involved in the ritual while pursuing a case against Gandhi for raising questions about it Congress leaders said the party would challenge the FIR through democratic and legal meansCongress general secretary organisation K C Venugopal described the development as the pot calling the kettle black and said the party would continue demanding action against those it considers responsible for insulting KhargeVenugopal questions FIR against Gandhi after his demand for actionVenugopal said the FIR against Gandhi was registered a day after the Congress leader held what he described as a bold press conference demanding action against BJP workers allegedly involved in the ritual following Kharges public meetingThis is nothing but the pot calling the kettle black Venugopal said on XHe alleged that the BJP had defended conduct which the Congress has described as casteistThey are willing to put the entire might of the state to attack those who speak against Dalit atrocities What the BJP has done is to attack the values of social justice enshrined in the Constitution and the Congress will fight against this attack tooth and nail Venugopal saidWe will not rest until the true culprits of the insult to Kharge ji are punished and this frivolous FIR against Rahul ji is thrown in the dustbin he saidVenugopal added that Congress workers would stage protests across the country demanding action against those allegedly involved in the incident and raising concerns about what the party described as an attack on constitutional valuesCongress says no action taken against those involved in alleged ritualCongress general secretary incharge of Uttarakhand Kumari Selja also questioned why an FIR had been registered against Gandhi while according to the party no action had been taken against those who conducted the alleged ritualNo action against those who conducted the purification ritual after Congress President Shri Mallikarjun Kharge jis public meeting but an FIR against Leader of Opposition Shri Rahul Gandhi ji for raising his voice against that casteist act Is this the justice of the BJP government Selja saidShe alleged that the Uttarakhand BJP leadership had publicly defended the activity and accused the state government of targeting Gandhi after he demanded legal actionThis is no coincidence but it is a deeply serious example of the BJPRSSs antiDalit and antiConstitution mindset Selja allegedShe said Gandhi had raised concerns similar to those earlier expressed by Kharge who had said the alleged purification made him feel humiliated and reminded him of untouchabilityBut look at the BJP governments approach Raise questions about those who conducted the purification FIR Talk about Dalit dignity FIR Raise your voice for the Constitution FIR Selja saidShe questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modis silence on the controversy and said the Congress would not be deterred by legal actionCongress vows democratic and legal responseSelja said the Congress would respond to the FIR through democratic and legal meansThe fight against the casteist mentality behind the purification and for the protection of Dalit dignity and the Constitution will be waged with full force she saidCongress media and publicity department head Pawan Khera also sought to shift attention away from the FIR against Gandhi and towards the alleged ritual itselfWill heavens fall that a person against whom the BJP has filed 4050 cases across the country has one more FIR lodged against him Khera saidThe real issue isnt the FIR against Rahul ji The real issue is that of purification Look at the intentions of the BJP and the Uttarakhand government The person who raised their voice against purification an FIR was immediately filed against them he saidKhera alleged that no FIR had been filed against those who conducted or organised the alleged ritual and questioned why the Uttarakhand government was not investigating the matterFIR follows complaint over Gandhis remarksThe FIR against Gandhi was registered following a complaint by Amit Kumar a member of the Valmiki community and a resident of Jawahar Nagar in HaldwaniPolice said the FIR includes provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita related to promoting enmity between groups and deliberate acts intended to outrage religious feelings Provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Prevention of Atrocities Act 1989 have also been invokedKumar who is associated with the Shri Ram Sena Dharmarth Seva Nyas claimed that he was present during the ritual and cleanliness drive and alleged that Gandhis remarks at a press conference in New Delhi on August 29 hurt the sentiments of the communityHe accused Gandhi of portraying those involved in the activity as practising untouchability and being antiDalitAccording to the complaint Kumar belongs to the Scheduled Caste community and said people from different sections of society including members of Scheduled Castes participated in the ritual He also claimed that the activity had no connection with Kharges casteHaldwani incident triggers continuing political rowThe controversy began after some individuals allegedly performed a purification yajna at Haldwanis Ramlila Ground on August 11 following a public meeting addressed by Kharge at the venue on August 8The Congress has described the incident as evidence of an antiDalit mindset and has demanded action against those allegedly involvedThe BJP however defended the activity saying the venue had been left littered after Kharges rally and alleging that slogans inappropriate for a religious site had been raised during the programmeAt his August 29 press conference in New Delhi Gandhi criticised the alleged purification and demanded registration of an FIR under the SCST Act against those responsibleCongress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra subsequently supported the demand for action describing the incident as a reflection of a reprehensible and shameful mindset and alleging that it amounted to a violation of the SCST ActWith inputs from PTI