Telangana Minister Dhanasari Anasuya Seethakka led a protest rally organised by the Congress in Mulugu district headquarters on August 14, opposing the reported “purification” ceremony conducted at a venue in Uttarakhand after Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge addressed a public meeting there. The Congress has criticised the incident as disrespectful and linked it to concerns over caste discrimination. The controversy has also drawn a response from BJP leader J.P. Nadda, who said the party does not support such activities and assured that the matter would be examined.
Congress leaders and workers participated in the Mulugu rally under Seethakka’s leadership. DCC president Paidakula Ashok, Library Corporation chairman Banoth Ravichander and other party leaders and workers were among those who attended the demonstration.
Addressing the gathering, Seethakka said the reported incident involving Kharge was unfortunate and argued that such an action should not be viewed only as an insult to an individual. She said it raised concerns about the treatment of people from socially disadvantaged and marginalised communities.
The controversy relates to an August 8 Congress rally addressed by Kharge at Ramlila Maidan in Haldwani, Uttarakhand. Reports said members of a local right-wing organisation conducted a “shuddhikaran” ritual at the venue two days later. The organisation said the venue was a cultural platform and alleged that objectionable slogans had been raised during the Congress programme. A BJP minister in Uttarakhand also said the BJP had no connection with the purification programme.
Kharge subsequently raised the issue in the Rajya Sabha, describing the incident as deeply hurtful. Union Minister J.P. Nadda said in Parliament that the BJP does not subscribe to such practices and assured that the matter would be investigated.
During the Mulugu protest, Seethakka also spoke about equality and social justice, saying that political discourse should not promote divisions based on caste or religion. She called for an apology from the BJP leadership over the incident and urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah to respond.
The Congress leaders and workers who participated in the rally raised slogans against what they described as the BJP’s approach to the controversy. The issue continues to be a point of political confrontation between the Congress and BJP, with the Congress demanding accountability and the BJP distancing itself from the reported ceremony.
