Accusing BJP’s Uttarakhand unit president Mahendra Bhatt of defending the alleged purification ritual conducted at a venue in Haldwani after Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge addressed a rally there, the party on Thursday (August 27, 2026) asked whether the ruling BJP would act against him for “defending untouchability”.
“The BJP’s true casteist nature keeps rearing its ugly head, no matter how much cover-up their leaders attempt. If there is even an iota of truth in Mr. Nadda’s statement in Parliament, they must sack Mr. Congress media and publicity department head Pawan Khera, while sharing a video of Mr. “It does not matter that Nadda ji described the shuddhikaran in Haldwani after Kharge ji ’s rally as ‘unfortunate’. The truth is that discrimination flows through the veins of the RSS-BJP like blood,” Mr. The Congress leader asked whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi would act against Mr. Bhatt. “Now that its own State president has openly defended untouchability, will the party act against him? Will Modi remove him? If not, then Modi’s grand appeals of unity and respect for Dalits are nothing but another political performance,” Mr.
Mahendra Bhatt and take strict criminal action against those who insulted Kharge ji ,” he said. Bhatt’s remarks, said the BJP’s Uttarakhand unit chief had “justified” the purification ritual. Khera said.
Mr. Congress general secretary (organisation) K.C. Nadda’s statement of regret in the Rajya Sabha was a mere eyewash. If Mr. Nadda truly meant that the BJP doesn’t subscribe to such acts, how is the BJP’s own Uttarakhand chief is defending the so-called ‘shuddhikaran’ that their workers did after Kharge ji ’s event? Mr.
“It was evident from Day 1 that Union Minister J.P.
Bhatt had said the venue had been “polluted” by slogans that were not appropriate for a religious place, dismissing the Opposition’s criticism of the ritual. Venugopal said the remarks showed that Union Minister J.P. Nadda’s expression of regret in the Rajya Sabha over the incident was “a mere eyewash”. Venugopal said in a post on X.
