CONGRESS PROTESTED INSULT OF KHARGE

CONGRESS PROTESTED INSULT OF KHARGE

15-AUG-ENG 8

RAJIV NAYAN AGRAWAL

ARA-------------------------- Virendra Mishra, Spokesperson and Media In-charge of the Bhojpur District Congress Committee, organized a protest against the insult to Mallikarjun Kharge. Following a rally held by the Indian National Congress President, Shri Mallikarjun Kharge, in Haldwani, Uttarakhand, BJP members and their affiliate organizations performed rituals and sprinkled *Gangajal* (holy water from the Ganges) to "purify" the stage and venue. This act reflects the BJP's petty and anti-Dalit mentality; it promotes untouchability in society and undermines the right to equality guaranteed by the Constitution. In support of Shri Mallikarjun Kharge and in protest against these actions, a march was taken out from the Congress office (Shaheed Bhavan) under the leadership of Bhojpur District Congress Committee President Dr. Shridhar Tiwari, with hundreds of Congress workers and senior leaders participating. Dr. Shridhar Tiwari stated that there is no leader in the BJP today who matches the social and parliamentary stature of Shri Mallikarjun Kharge; he is the country's foremost Dalit leader, the National President of the Indian National Congress, and the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha. Wherever the BJP is in power, the Dalit community is being targeted and persecuted, and caste-based animosity is being fostered in society. It is worth considering that if people with the BJP and RSS mindset behave this way toward such a prominent leader, what must be happening to Dalits living in villages. We demand that the Modi government at the Centre and the Uttarakhand government immediately arrest the culprits, send them to jail, and ensure they receive the strictest possible punishment. The Congress party will take this issue to every village to inform the Dalit community and expose the mentality of the Sangh and the BJP. Key participants in the event included Afzal Hussain 'Chand', Media In-charge Virendra Mishra, Chitranjan Munna, Manoj Kumar Anjani, Razi Ahmed, Surendra Ravidas, Youth District President Bhanu Pratap Singh, Minority Wing President Mohammad Sarik Khan, Shakti Singh Manan, Upendra Singh, Ranjit Yadav, Santosh Singh, Abhishek Tiwari 'Golu', Surya Prakash, Prem Ranjan Singh, Mahboob Alam, Mohammad Yasir Arafat, Mundrika Ram, Tyagi Kumar, and others.

Virendra Mishra, Spokesperson and Media In-charge of the Bhojpur District Congress Committee, organized a protest against the insult to Mallikarjun Kharge. Following a rally held by Indian National Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge in Haldwani, Uttarakhand, the act of 'purifying' the stage and venue with *Gangajal* (holy water) and rituals by BJP members and its affiliate organizations reflects the BJP's petty and anti-Dalit mindset. This practice promotes untouchability in society and undermines the right to equality guaranteed by the Constitution.

A protest march was taken out from the Congress office (Shaheed Bhavan) in support of Mallikarjun Kharge, led by Bhojpur District Congress Committee President Dr. Shridhar Tiwari; hundreds of Congress workers and senior leaders participated in it. Dr. Shridhar Tiwari stated that there is no leader in the BJP today who matches the social and parliamentary stature of Mallikarjun Kharge; he is the country's foremost Dalit leader, the National President of the Indian National Congress, and the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha. Wherever the BJP is in power, the Dalit community is being targeted and persecuted, and caste-based animosity is being fostered in society. It is worth considering that if people with the BJP and RSS mindset behave this way towards such a prominent leader, what must be happening to Dalits living in villages. We demand that the Modi government at the Centre and the Uttarakhand government immediately arrest the culprits, send them to jail, and ensure they receive the strictest possible punishment. The Congress party will take this issue to every village to inform the Dalit community and raise awareness about the mindset of the Sangh and the BJP. Key individuals who participated in the program included Afzal Hussain 'Chand' (Media In-charge), Virendra Mishra, Chitranjan Munna, Manoj Kumar Anjani, Razi Ahmed, Surendra Ravidas, Bhanu Pratap Singh (Youth District President), Mohammad Sarik Khan (Minority Wing President), Shakti Singh Manan, Upendra Singh, Ranjit Yadav, Santosh Singh, Abhishek Tiwari 'Golu', Surya Prakash, Prem Ranjan Singh, Mahboob Alam, Mohammad Yasir Arafat, Mundrika Ram, and Tyagi Kumar, among others.