Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge Criticizes Party Leaders for Lack of Support on Purification Controversy

Party president Mallikarjun Kharge is upset over the silence of Congress leaders on the purification controversy. He expressed his displeasure at the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting in Delhi on Wednesday. According to media reports, the Congress president told party leaders present at the meeting that he was pained that many CWC members did not openly support him by condemning the purification issue. Kharge was referring to the incident in Haldwani, Uttarakhand, where some Hindutva organisations purified the place after his rally. Though Kharge did not name any particular leader, sources said his expression seemed to be annoyed at the lack of support from some senior leaders on the issue. Mallikarjun Kharge had addressed a Vijay Shankhnaad rally at Ramlila Maidan in Haldwani on 8 August. Two days later, on 10 August, a right-wing group Sri Ram Sene carried out a purification drive at the rally site. Venugopal alleged that the purification issue was discussed in the CWC and that the BJP had an unacceptable mindset about the purification.