DEHRADUN: Uttarakhand BJP president and Rajya Sabha member Mahendra Bhatt has triggered a fresh political controversy by defending the alleged “purification” of Haldwani’s Ramlila Maidan after a rally addressed by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge.
Bhatt’s remarks came after the issue was raised in Parliament and the BJP had sought to distance itself from the organisation that conducted a havan at the venue.
Speaking to journalists at an event in Mussoorie, Bhatt said the Congress rally had allegedly witnessed slogans and activities that were not in keeping with the sanctity of the Ramlila ground. “If the ground was purified after the programme, what was wrong with it?” Bhatt asked.
He maintained that the issue concerned the dignity of a venue associated with religious and cultural events. Targeting the Opposition, Bhatt said the Congress had neither a substantive issue nor a clear programme and was therefore amplifying matters that could “vitiate the social atmosphere”.
“The cleanliness or purification of a religious venue should not be turned into a political controversy,” he said, accusing the Congress of attempting to create divisions in society.
Bhatt also criticised the party for linking the incident to Kharge’s scheduled caste identity. “By associating the matter with the Scheduled Caste community, the Congress is making a mockery of its own national president,” he alleged.
The controversy dates to a rally addressed by Kharge at Haldwani’s Ramlila Maidan. Subsequently, the Shri Ram Sena Dharmarth Seva Nyas claimed to have performed a havan on August 10 to “purify” the ground.
The organisation alleged that slogans supporting a particular religion and objectionable comments against Hinduism had been made during the Congress event, thereby compromising the sanctity of the venue.
The allegations have remained contested. The Congress strongly objected to the ritual, calling it discriminatory, and blamed the BJP for the episode.
Kharge later raised the matter in the Rajya Sabha, prompting BJP president J.P. Nadda to respond. At the time, the BJP rejected the Congress’s allegations and distanced itself from the organisation behind the ceremony, saying it had no connection with the “purification” programme.
Bhatt’s latest remarks, however, have brought the politically sensitive issue back into focus and are likely to intensify the war of words between the ruling BJP and the Opposition Congress in Uttarakhand.
