Rajya Sabha Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge speaks in the house during the Monsoon session of Parliament, in New Delhi. | Photo Credit: Sansad TV/ANI Video Grab A ‘purification’ ritual conducted at a public ground in Uttarakhand’s Haldwani two days after Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge addressed a public rally there triggered a political storm on Thursday (August 13, 2026). Speaking in the Rajya Sabha, Mr. Kharge demanded the arrest of the people behind the ritual, while the party’s Uttarakhand in-charge, Kumari Selja and State party chief, Ganesh Godhiyal, accused the BJP of displaying an anti-Dalit mindset.  Mr. Kharge had addressed the Congress’s ‘Vijay Shankhnaad’ rally at the venue on August 8. Two days later, on August 10, members of the Shri Ram Sena reportedly performed a shuddhikaran havan at the same site. ‘Anti-Dalit mindset’ Addressing a press conference in Delhi, Ms. Selja criticised the BJP over the so-called ritual, questioning why authorities in the BJP-ruled State had not taken action against those involved init. She urged Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and the top BJP leadership to …