Dhami questions Rahul Gandhi’s silence on Muslim clerics’ remarks amid Haldwani purification row
text_fields
Dehradun: Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Tuesday attacked Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and the Congress for remaining silent over what he described as objectionable statements by Muslim clerics, while accusing them of repeatedly trying to “hurt Sanatan Dharma”.
Addressing a press conference in Dehradun, Dhami referred to recent controversial comments by Kerala Grand Mufti Sheikh Abubakr Ahmad, who said women should not step out of their homes, among other remarks. “The Congress party's Yuvraj (Rahul Gandhi) keeps making statements at different places in every possible way to hurt Sanatan. A few days ago, he made a statement about the patriarchal system, and today I am seeing that a Grand Mufti, Abu Bakr Ahmad, has made a very controversial statement regarding women. He has said that women should not step out of their homes, along with several other things, reflecting a very narrow mindset. But neither the Congress nor Rahul Gandhi or Priyanka Gandhi Vadra react to such things,” Dhami said.
He also cited a speech by cleric Mufti Mujeeb near Trishul Chowk in Rudrapur, in which the cleric allegedly warned of severe consequences if the government shut down madrassas. “He spoke anarchic things yet neither the Congress nor its 'yuvraj' (Rahul Gandhi) had anything to say about it,” the Chief Minister said. Mufti Mujeeb was later arrested for delivering a purportedly provocative speech, and police quoted him as saying: “If the government shuts down madrassas, you cannot even imagine what Muslims will do.”
Dhami defended the state government’s decision that any madrassa which does not obtain permission from the authority established for minority education, does not follow its provisions, or does not teach the curriculum prescribed by the Education Board, will be closed. “It is because we want educational institutions where students can attain modern education. Every child, regardless of who they are, should receive such education today,” he said.
The Chief Minister also revisited the Haldwani “purification” controversy that has intensified after an FIR was registered against Rahul Gandhi over his remarks on the issue. Dhami reiterated that no caste-based insult was intended at the venue where Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge had addressed a rally. “It was neither about a person or about any caste. There is no proof that any caste was being insulted at the event,” he said.
According to Dhami, “jihadi slogans” were raised at the venue, prompting members of the Sri Ram Sena, a religious organisation, to perform a havan in objection. He accused the Congress of spinning the incident into a caste narrative “for votes”. Noting that the organisation’s members included people from Scheduled Castes, he asked: “How is it possible that people belonging from the same section of the society, would perform 'shuddhikaran' against their own community?”
The row has escalated after Uttarakhand police filed an FIR against Rahul Gandhi following a complaint that his remarks on the purification ritual hurt the sentiments of a person from the Scheduled Caste community. The Congress has staged protests in several states, demanding action against those it alleges carried out a casteist “shuddhikaran” after Kharge’s rally, while the BJP and the organisers maintain the havan was about alleged violation of religious norms at the ground, not about caste.
(Inputs from IANS)