Uttarakhand Congress president Ganesh Godiyal accused the BJP of being linked to the Shri Ram Sena group that performed the “shuddhikaran”, or purification, ritual at the venue. The BJP rejected the allegation and accused the Congress of attempting to derive political advantage from the controversy.
Kharge addressed a Congress public meeting at the Ramlila Ground on August 8 as the party stepped up preparations for the 2027 Uttarakhand Assembly election. Members of the Shri Ram Sena Dharmarth Seva Nyas conducted a purification yagna at the site three days later, saying objectionable slogans had been raised during the political programme.
Godiyal alleged that the ceremony was motivated by Kharge’s Dalit background and accused the BJP of encouraging social divisions based on caste. He described the episode as shameful and demanded action against those responsible for organising the ritual.
The Congress leader also questioned the Nainital senior superintendent of police over the absence of action against the organisation. He characterised the ceremony as an affront to social equality and sought to place the dispute within the wider ideological contest between the two parties.
The BJP strongly denied having any organisational connection with Shri Ram Sena. State BJP spokesperson and Cabinet Minister Khajan Das said the Congress was attempting to malign the ruling party and link it to an organisation with which it had no association.
Das argued that the controversy arose from slogans allegedly raised during Kharge’s meeting. He said the Ramlila Ground had religious and cultural significance and that slogans referring to another religion had hurt the sentiments of sections of the Sanatan community.
Shri Ram Sena offered a similar explanation for the ceremony without citing Kharge’s caste. The organisation said the Ramlila stage was a cultural platform and should not be used for political events by any party. Its representatives maintained that the yagna was performed because of slogans they considered objectionable during the Congress programme.
The competing explanations have turned the ceremony into a wider political dispute over caste, religion and the use of religiously associated public spaces. Congress has sought to frame the episode as evidence of discriminatory politics, while the BJP has insisted that it neither organised nor sponsored the ritual.
Kharge’s August 8 rally was part of a broader Congress push in the Kumaon region ahead of the next state election. Party leaders had prepared for the Haldwani meeting as a major political mobilisation and used it to attack the BJP government over unemployment, alleged corruption, paper leaks, law and order and the quality of public services.
During his address, Kharge targeted the BJP and the RSS and urged voters to remove the BJP from power in Uttarakhand. His appearance in Haldwani was intended to strengthen the Congress campaign in Kumaon and energise the party organisation before the election battle gathers pace.
The purification dispute now provides both sides with another issue around which to mobilise their respective political bases. Congress is seeking to keep attention on its allegation that the ceremony reflected caste prejudice, while BJP leaders are focusing on the disputed slogans and denying responsibility for the ritual.
The episode is particularly sensitive because Uttarakhand politics has increasingly featured arguments over religious identity, demographic change and the protection of places regarded as culturally significant. The Ramlila Ground controversy adds caste discrimination to that politically charged mix as the state moves towards an Assembly election year.
Godiyal’s demand for police intervention has also shifted attention towards whether any law was violated during the ceremony or whether the episode remains primarily a political dispute. No evidence presented publicly so far establishes that the BJP directed the purification ritual, while the Congress continues to allege political links between the organisation involved and the ruling party.
(IPA Service)
