Congress protests in Bengaluru against FIR filed against Rahul Gandhi

Congress workers protested outside the KPCC office in Bengaluru on Monday against an FIR filed against Rahul Gandhi over his remarks concerning a purification ritual in Haldwani. KPCC chief B K Hariprasad accused the BJP-led Centre of political vendetta and diversion

Bengaluru: Members of the Congress party on Monday held a protest in front of KPCC office premises here, criticising the filing of an FIR against the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi. The protest, held under the leadership of KPCC president B K Hariprasad, was joined by party office-bearers, leaders, and workers.

Speaking to reporters here, KPCC President Hariprasad alleged that the BJP-led government at the Centre had filed an FIR against Rahul Gandhi “for no reason” and accused it of trying to divert attention from the alleged treatment meted out to party president Mallikarjun Kharge in Uttarakhand. He said Gandhi had protested against an incident in Haldwani, where Kharge had gone to address a public meeting earlier this month.

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“After his (Kharge’s) address, some BJP leaders went to the place with Ganga jal and cleaned it, saying that it had become impure,” the Congress leader alleged.

Gandhi strongly protested against the incident, saying that untouchability should not be practised in the country and that the Constitution does not permit such discrimination, he said. “When these people still practise these Manusmriti ideas, Rahul Gandhi has definitely protested against the attitude of the BJP,” the Congress leader said.

He alleged that a BJP worker was made to file a complaint against Gandhi “only to divert attention”. “We don’t care for all those things, and Rahul Gandhi is not scared of all this. There are a lot of FIRs against him, and we will fight it in court,” he said.

An FIR was registered against Gandhi on the complaint of a member of the Valmiki community in Uttarakhand’s Haldwani, who alleged that the Congress leader gave a casteist spin to a religious ritual held at the venue of party president Mallikarjun Kharge’s programme. A political row erupted after some individuals allegedly performed a ‘purification yajna’ at the Ramlila Ground in Haldwani on August 11, after Kharge held a public meeting there on August 8.