Manusmriti row: Congress steps up attack on BJP over ‘purification’ of Kharge rally venue

As the political controversy over the “purification” of a rally venue in Uttarakhand and the invocation of Manusmriti intensifies, the Congress has stepped up its attack on the BJP, accusing the ruling party of defending an act that it says undermines constitutional values and the dignity of Dalits.

The BJP has come under increasing pressure from the Opposition, particularly after the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi held a press conference and demanded action against those responsible for the purification ritual at the venue of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s rally in Haldwani.

Kharge, who belongs to the Dalit community, had addressed a public rally at the Haldwani Ramlila Ground on 8 August. Three days later, members of the right-wing group Shri Ram Sena Dharmarth Seva Nyas conducted what they described as a shuddhikaran yagna of the venue.

The incident has since snowballed into a political confrontation, with the Congress linking the episode to what it calls the RSS-BJP’s 'Manusmriti mindset'.

On Monday, Congress workers staged a protest outside the RSS headquarters at Keshav Kunj in New Delhi. Protesters burnt copies of the Manusmriti and an RSS uniform, while raising slogans including 'The country will be governed by the Constitution of India, not by Manusmriti'.

The protest was organised to condemn what the Congress described as an “insult” to Kharge in Haldwani and the subsequent registration of an FIR against Rahul Gandhi for speaking out against the incident.

Congress leader Udit Raj alleged that there was a “conspiracy to undermine the Constitution, social equality and dignity”, while cases were being filed against those who raised their voice against such actions.

“The situation aptly reflects the saying, ‘adding insult to injury’,” Raj said.

Raj also questioned the action against Gandhi, saying the Leader of Opposition had demanded an FIR against those responsible for the incident, but “instead of taking action against the accused, an FIR was registered against Rahul Gandhi himself”.

A case has been registered against Gandhi at Kotwali police station in Haldwani over his remarks on the purification ritual. The FIR was filed under Sections 196 and 299 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Section 3(1)(q) of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act following a complaint by Amit Kumar, who identified himself as a member of the Scheduled Caste community.

Kumar alleged that Gandhi had wrongly portrayed routine cleaning at the venue as an act of untouchability and had made caste-related and insulting remarks.

The Congress has maintained that the episode reflects a broader question and deeper rots of the society, and has made it part of a broader political argument over the Constitution, caste equality and the ideological legacy of the Manusmriti.

At the Delhi protest, Raj and several other Congress leaders and workers were detained by police and taken to Paharganj police station. “We will raise our voice even more strongly for the protection of the Constitution, social equality and the dignity of every citizen,” Raj said.