Shuddhikaran row: Tharoor calls it 'deeply entrenched, discriminatory mindset of BJP
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Shuddhikaran row: Tharoor calls it 'deeply entrenched, discriminatory mindset of BJP")
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor
“Attempting to hide behind words like ‘shuddhikaran’ or ‘safai’, as @rahulgandhi pointed out, does not erase the nature of the act. Performing a ‘purification’ ritual following the presence of a prominent Dalit leader is an act of untouchability," said Tharoor.
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Saturday (Aug 29) spoke on the alleged ‘shuddhikaran’ (purification) row surrounding his party president Mallikarjun Kharge. Hitting out at Bharatiya Janata Party Tharoor said that the "discriminatory mindset of BJP's leadership and ideology” was behind the row surrounding the congress president.
Taking to social media platform X he wrote, "The Root Cause is BJP’s Ideology: Excuses, regret, or semantic deflections cannot mask the underlying problem. This incident reflects the deeply entrenched, discriminatory mindset of the BJP's leadership and ideology. We must not allow those responsible to evade accountability."
He called the incident a "direct assault on the dignity of every Dalit citizen in this country.
"Justice for Kharge Ji is Justice for All Dalits: This is not a personal issue or standard political back-and-forth. If the National President of the principal opposition party, a leader who has dedicated decades to public service, can be subjected to this mindset, imagine the everyday reality and indignities faced by ordinary Dalit citizens and children across India," said Tharoor.
He also rejected attempts to describe the alleged ritual as “shuddhikaran” or “safai”.
“Attempting to hide behind words like ‘shuddhikaran’ or ‘safai’, as @rahulgandhi pointed out, does not erase the nature of the act. Performing a ‘purification’ ritual following the presence of a prominent Dalit leader is an act of untouchability. It is unconstitutional, unacceptable, and a punishable offense under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act,” Tharoor said.
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What is the shuddhikaran row?
On August 8, 2026, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge held a large public meeting at Ramlila Maidan in Haldwani. Two days later, a local right-wing group called Shri Ram Sena performed a purification ceremony at the same venue.
Later, the Congress party questioned the motive behind doing the purification ceremony. They said it was done because Kharge is a Dalitand and called it modern-day untouchability.
