Mallikarjun Kharge condemns ‘shuddhikaran’ ritual after his Uttarakhand visit; J.P. Nadda expresses regret in Rajya Sabha

On the last day of the Parliament Monsoon Session on Thursday (August 13, 2026), Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge in the Rajya Sabha condemned the ‘shuddhikaran’ (purification) ceremony reportedly held at Haldwani’s Ramlila Ground after he addressed a rally there on Saturday (August 8).

Uttarakhand Congress president Ganesh Godiyal alleged that the Shri Ram Sena, which conducted the ritual, had links to the BJP and the purification was done because Mr. Kharge is a Dalit. He accused the BJP of promoting caste-based divisions and described the incident as deeply objectionable.

“If Kharge ji is insulted, that means everyone is insulted,” said Rajya Sabha Chairman C.P. Radhakrishnan before allowing Mr. Kharge to speak on the incident.

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“I say, with a lot if regret, that I went to deliver a public address at Haldwani. At that time, I did not take any religion’s name, only brought up people’s issues. After my speech, people of the BJP did a “shuddikaran”. Is this the way in democracy? How are you protecting the Constitution?” Mr. Kharge said, amid uproar.

Nadda says enquiry will be initiated

Leader of the House J.P. Nadda slammed the ‘shuddhikaran’ (purification) ceremony, saying that an enquiry will be initiated into the incident and action will be taken against the people involved. Mr. Nadda said, “What Kharge said, it is truly unfortunate. Not just for the Congress, but for all of us.”

Claiming that BJP does not subscribe to such activity, Mr. Nadda said, “Because he said they were BJP people, I want to clarify that the BJP does not subscribe to such activities. But because of the claims, we will investigate. National President Nitin Nabin will take this seriously. We apologise for the hurt it has caused to you.”

“I did not want to make this a political matter. I am in the House for so many years but have never sought sympathy over belonging to the Dalit community,” Mr. Kharge responded. He also demanded a case to be registered under the Untouchability Act, saying, “Register a case against this act of untouchability. That is my demand,” Mr. Kharge said.