Satheesan condemns alleged purification of stage after Kharge's Uttarakhand speech

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Chief Minister V D Satheesan on Thursday condemned the alleged purification of a stage in Haldwani, Uttarakhand, where Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge had addressed a gathering on August 8, calling the incident an insult to constitutional values of equality and dignity.

In a post on X, Satheesan termed the alleged act “reprehensible” and said it was an insult not only to Kharge but also to the values enshrined in the Constitution.

“Dalits have shaped India’s history, strengthened our democracy and built this nation through generations of struggle and sacrifice. The BJP and Sangh Parivar may try to rewrite history, but they can never erase their contribution,” Satheesan said.

He added that Kharge’s lifelong commitment to Dalits, backward and marginalised communities spoke for itself.
“Untouchability has no place in our Republic. India must stand against this hatred. Keralam strongly condemns this reprehensible act,” Satheesan said.

The Chief Minister’s comments came after Kharge raised the issue in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday. He said he did not want to turn the matter into a political issue but described the alleged purification of the stage as humiliating.

“I have never told anyone to protect me because I am a Dalit, nor have I begged in front of anyone. I have the strength to fight, and I do fight,” Kharge said.

“But in Haldwani, the purification of the stage made me feel the sting of untouchability and humiliated me,” he added.

Kharge alleged that people associated with the BJP were behind the purification and demanded legal action against those responsible.

He called for cases to be registered against them under the Untouchability Act and demanded their arrest and imprisonment. The incident relates to a programme at Ramlila Maidan in Haldwani, where Kharge delivered a speech on August 8.