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Uttarakhand BJP Chief Defends 'Shuddhikaran' Post After Nadda Called It Regrettable

Uttarakhand's BJP state chief has defended a 'shuddhikaran' social media post made after a Haldwani rally by Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge, even after national BJP president J.P. Nadda called the post regrettable.

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Current Summary

Uttarakhand's BJP state chief has defended a 'shuddhikaran' (purification) ritual reportedly performed at the venue of a rally held by Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge in Haldwani. BJP national president J.P. Nadda had earlier called the act regrettable, but Congress leader K.C. Venugopal dismissed that statement as 'mere eyewash'. Congress leader Pawan Khera separately accused the BJP of caste discrimination and demanded an FIR over alleged untouchability against Kharge. Uttarakhand Minister Das has denied any BJP role in the ritual, rejecting Congress's insult claim. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has demanded an FIR over the incident, saying it displayed a 'BJP-RSS mindset', and has since specified the FIR should be filed under the SC/ST Act, calling on Prime Minister Narendra Modi to order it. Priyanka Gandhi has separately demanded an FIR and SC/ST Act action against those behind the ritual. Gandhi has further warned that 'every action has an equal and opposite reaction' over the rally venue ritual. BJP has rejected Rahul Gandhi's insult claim, accusing Congress of misleading the Dalit community. BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi has said there is no caste angle in the video of the incident. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has said there is no caste discrimination in Uttarakhand, calling Congress 'issueless' over the row, and stated that religious slogans were raised at the venue and people simply responded. Congress workers have held a protest in Dehradun over the incident and have now also protested outside the Uttarakhand BJP state chief's residence. Uttarakhand Congress has announced it will file FIRs across multiple districts over the ritual row. Congress workers have now held a silent protest in Haldwani over the ritual, following through on earlier plans for a silent fast, according to an August 30 ANI News report. BJP has accused Congress of trying to divide people on communal and caste lines, following the silent protest, according to an August 30 Republic World report. The reports do not disclose who performed the ritual, its exact timing, or whether any official action has followed.

What We Know

A 'shuddhikaran' post was made in connection with a Haldwani rally by Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge.
BJP national president J.P. Nadda expressed regret over the post.
Uttarakhand's BJP state chief has publicly defended the post despite Nadda's regret.
The ritual was reportedly performed at the site of Kharge's Haldwani rally.
Congress has criticized the BJP's Uttarakhand chief for justifying the ritual, according to an August 27 Udayavani report.
Congress leader Pawan Khera has accused BJP of caste discrimination over the Haldwani 'shuddhikaran' ritual.
Congress leader K.C. Venugopal has called Nadda's expression of regret 'mere eyewash', per an August 27 ANI report.
Congress said discrimination 'flows through RSS-BJP's veins' in response to the BJP state chief's defense of the ritual, according to an August 27 Maktoob report.
Congress said BJP's defence of the ritual exposed the party's 'casteist nature', per an August 27 Hindu report.
BJP has accused Congress of playing divisive politics to taint the state's image, in response to continued criticism over the shuddhikaran episode.
Rahul Gandhi has demanded an FIR over the ritual, saying Kharge must get justice, per an August 29 The Hindu report.
Uttarakhand Minister Das has denied BJP's role in the Haldwani ritual, rejecting Congress's claim that it insulted Kharge.
Rahul Gandhi said the incident displayed a 'BJP-RSS mindset' and demanded an FIR, per an August 29 Deccan Herald report.
BJP rejected Rahul Gandhi's insult claim, saying Congress is misleading the Dalit community, per an August 29 Hindustan Times report.
Pawan Khera has separately demanded an FIR over the alleged untouchability against Kharge.
Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami said there is no caste discrimination in the state and accused Congress of becoming 'issueless' over the shuddhikaran row, according to an August 29 The Hawk report.
CM Dhami says religious slogans were raised at the venue and people responded, denying any discriminatory intent.
Congress workers held a protest in Dehradun over the Haldwani 'purification' incident.
Rahul Gandhi has specified that the demanded FIR should be filed under the SC/ST Act.
Rahul Gandhi has called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi to order the FIR.
BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi says there is no caste angle in the video of the incident.
Congress plans a silent fast in Haldwani over the alleged purification ritual.
Rahul Gandhi warned that 'every action has an equal and opposite reaction' over the ritual.
Congress workers protested outside the Uttarakhand BJP state chief's residence over the 'shuddhikaran' ritual controversy, per an August 29 ThePrint report.
Priyanka Gandhi has demanded an FIR and SC/ST Act action against those behind the 'purification' ritual at Kharge's Haldwani rally venue.
Uttarakhand Congress plans to file FIRs across multiple districts over the Haldwani ritual row, according to an August 30 ANI News report.
Congress workers held a silent protest in Haldwani over the ritual, per an August 30 ANI News report.
BJP has faced criticism from opposition and commentators for its perceived silence on the purification ritual, per an August 30 The News Mill report.

What Is Still Unclear

The exact content and author of the 'shuddhikaran' post.
When the post was made and when Kharge's rally took place.
The precise location within Haldwani.
Whether any complaint, FIR, or party disciplinary action has followed.

What Changed

30 Aug, 05:11 pm
BJP has accused Congress of trying to divide people on communal and caste lines, following Congress's silent protest over the Haldwani purification row, according to an August 30 Republic World report.
30 Aug, 03:40 pm
BJP has also faced criticism for its perceived silence over the purification ritual performed at the Kharge rally venue in Haldwani, according to an August 30 The News Mill report.
30 Aug, 01:21 pm
Congress workers held a silent protest in Haldwani over the 'purification' ritual performed at the Kharge rally venue, according to an August 30 ANI News report, following through on earlier plans for a silent fast.
30 Aug, 01:21 pm
Uttarakhand Congress has announced it will file FIRs across multiple districts over the Haldwani 'purification' ritual row, according to an August 30 ANI News report, escalating its earlier demand for a single FIR under the SC/ST Act.
30 Aug, 10:20 am
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi has also demanded an FIR and action under the SC/ST Act against those behind the 'purification' ritual at Kharge's Haldwani rally venue, according to an August 30 New Indian Express report.
29 Aug, 08:40 pm
Congress workers have protested outside the residence of Uttarakhand BJP state chief over the 'shuddhikaran' ritual controversy, according to an August 29 ThePrint report, marking a fresh escalation in the ongoing political row.
29 Aug, 04:21 pm
Rahul Gandhi issued a warning that 'every action has an equal and opposite reaction' regarding the shuddhikaran ritual at the Kharge rally venue.
29 Aug, 04:21 pm
Congress has announced plans for a silent fast in Haldwani to protest the alleged purification ritual at the Kharge rally venue.
29 Aug, 04:20 pm
BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi said there is no caste angle in the video of the shuddhikaran incident, pushing back on Rahul Gandhi's allegations.
29 Aug, 02:40 pm
Rahul Gandhi has specified that the FIR he is demanding over the Haldwani purification row should be filed under the SC/ST Act, and has called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi to order it, according to an August 29 WION report.
29 Aug, 02:00 pm
Congress workers held a protest in Dehradun over the Haldwani 'purification' incident, escalating the party's response to the row.
29 Aug, 01:00 pm
CM Pushkar Singh Dhami has further responded to Rahul Gandhi's criticism, stating that religious slogans were raised at the venue and people responded, rejecting claims of caste discrimination.
29 Aug, 12:00 pm
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said there is no caste discrimination in the state and accused Congress of becoming 'issueless' over the shuddhikaran row, according to an August 29 The Hawk report.
29 Aug, 11:40 am
Congress leader Pawan Khera has separately demanded an FIR over the alleged untouchability against Kharge, according to an August 29 The News Mill report.
29 Aug, 11:21 am
BJP has rejected Rahul Gandhi's claim that Kharge was insulted, saying Congress is misleading the Dalit community, according to an August 29 Hindustan Times report.
29 Aug, 11:21 am
Rahul Gandhi said the incident displayed a 'BJP-RSS mindset' while renewing his demand for an FIR, according to an August 29 Deccan Herald report.
29 Aug, 09:40 am
Uttarakhand Minister Das has denied any BJP role in the ritual, rejecting Congress's claim that it insulted Kharge, according to an August 29 ANI report.
29 Aug, 08:01 am
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has demanded an FIR over the 'purification' ritual performed at the venue of Mallikarjun Kharge's Haldwani rally, saying Kharge must get justice, according to an August 29 The Hindu report.
28 Aug, 02:01 pm
BJP has responded to Congress's continued criticism over the Haldwani 'shuddhikaran' episode, accusing Congress of playing divisive politics to taint the state's image, according to an August 28 Pioneer Edge report.
27 Aug, 08:00 pm
Congress said the BJP's defence of the Haldwani 'shuddhikaran' ritual has exposed the party's 'casteist nature', according to an August 27 report by The Hindu.
27 Aug, 05:11 pm
Congress further escalated its criticism, saying 'discrimination flows through RSS-BJP's veins' in response to the Uttarakhand BJP chief's defense of the purification ritual, according to an August 27 Maktoob report.
27 Aug, 12:11 pm
Congress leader K.C. Venugopal has called BJP chief J.P. Nadda's earlier expression of regret over the Haldwani 'shuddhikaran' ritual 'mere eyewash', according to an August 27 ANI report, adding to Congress criticism already voiced by Pawan Khera.
27 Aug, 09:40 am
Congress leader Pawan Khera has accused the BJP of caste discrimination over the 'shuddhikaran' ritual performed at the Haldwani rally venue, escalating the political row beyond the earlier exchange between JP Nadda and the Uttarakhand BJP chief.
27 Aug, 07:31 am
Congress has slammed the BJP for its Uttarakhand state chief 'justifying' the 'shuddhikaran' ritual performed at the venue of Mallikarjun Kharge's Haldwani rally, according to an August 27 Udayavani report. This follows BJP national president J.P. Nadda's earlier statement calling the act regrettable.
27 Aug, 06:20 am
A TheWire.in report confirms the 'purification' ritual was performed at the venue where Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge's Haldwani rally was held, adding to earlier reporting on the state BJP chief's defense of the act.
26 Aug, 06:20 pm
Signal detected: Uttarakhand BJP Chief Defends 'Shuddhikaran' Post After Nadda Called It Regrettable