New Delhi, August 31: Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav on Monday recounted how his own official residence and a temple he visited in Kannauj were "purified" with Ganga water by political opponents after his departure. "We ourselves are victims; this has happened to us three times. In Kannauj, a temple was washed with Ganga water after our visit, and our own home was washed with Ganga water. We are positive and progressive people, and we would never do such a thing. We will take the State forward," the former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister said.
Yadav's remarks comes amid the ongoing controversy over the "purification" ritual, which had erupted on August 8 when Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge addressed a political rally at Haldwani's Ramlila Maidan. Two days later, members of a right-wing group, Shri Ram Sena, reportedly conducted a havan and sprinkled gangajal on the venue stage as part of what they described as a "purification" exercise. Kharge subsequently raised the issue in Parliament and demanded that those responsible for the alleged act be arrested and booked under the Untouchability (Offences) Act. The incident triggered a sharp political reaction from the Congress, which condemned the act and alleged that it reflected an "anti-Dalit mindset". The party also termed the incident a violation of constitutional protections against untouchability. Meanwhile, the organisers, Shri Ram Sena, along with local BJP representatives, maintained that the havan was not conducted because of Kharge's caste. They argued that the ritual was performed because religious decorum had allegedly been violated at the Ramlila ground. On Sunday, Uttarakhand's Haldwani City Kotwali Police registered an FIR following a complaint regarding Rahul Gandhi's public statements about a purification ritual (shuddhikaran yajna) in Haldwani. Subsequently, a tense standoff ensued after Congress leaders and workers, led by Leader of Opposition and MLA Yashpal Arya, staged a protest at the Haldwani Circle Officer's (CO) office today against the filing of the FIR.
