BJP calls FIR against Mahendra Bhatt as politically motivated
By Arun Pratap Singh
Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 5 Sep: Reacting to the Zero FIR registered in Karnataka against BJP leaders and others in connection with the alleged ‘purification’ exercise at the Ramlila Maidan in Haldwani, Uttarakhand Congress president Ganesh Godiyal today claimed that the ‘long arm of the law’ has finally reached BJP leaders.
Godiyal said he had learnt through the media that a Zero FIR had been registered in Bengaluru against BJP leaders and others in connection with the Haldwani incident. He described the development as a reaction to what he termed the ‘politics of vendetta’ in Uttarakhand, alleging that while the BJP government in the state had ignored Congress representations, an FIR was registered against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on the basis of a complaint submitted by an person.
Addressing the Uttarakhand BJP, Godiyal said its leaders might have heard in films that ‘the long arm of the law” can reach anyone. He said that since the BJP is in power in Uttarakhand, it has apparently assumed that the law can be confined to the state, but the country is governed by one Constitution and one legal system. The arm of the law has now come from Karnataka. Tomorrow, it can come from the East, North or West as well, he said.
Godiyal claimed that the BJP now had three options , it must apologise, take action against those responsible and withdraw the FIR allegedly registered against Rahul Gandhi as part of a conspiracy. He warned that after six months, the ‘long arm of the law’ would also be felt in Uttarakhand, saying that political circumstances keep changing.
He said he wanted to make only one point on the matter, that it was a case of ‘action and reaction’. He alleged that while the Congress applications submitted earlier had been rejected outright by the state government, an FIR against Rahul Gandhi was registered on the basis of a complaint by an individual and that the latest development was a reaction to this alleged bias.
Godiyal further said the BJP has apparently believed that being in power would enable it to confine the reach of the law to Uttarakhand, but this is not possible. “The country runs on one law. Therefore, the arms of the law also exist in other States,” he said, adding that the BJP leaders had currently faced what he described as the “law’s arm” from Karnataka and that similar action could emerge from other parts of the country.
To remind all, the controversy relates to an incident following Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s rally at the Ramlila Maidan in Haldwani on 8 August. On 11 August, some people reportedly conducted a religious ritual at the ground and on the stage. The Congress described the exercise as an alleged ‘purification’ of the venue because a Dalit leader had addressed the gathering from the stage. The party has since been holding protests over the issue and demanding action against those responsible from the BJP and Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami.
On the other hand, BJP State President Mahendra Bhatt has asserted that he is in no way connected with the alleged purification exercise at the Ramlila Maidan in Haldwani. Bhatt has said that the FIR against him in connection with the matter is politically motivated and that he has no role whatsoever in organising or conducting the religious ritual. His clarification comes amid the political controversy surrounding the incident and the subsequent legal action.
The Haldwani incident has consequently become another point of confrontation between the ruling BJP and the Congress in Uttarakhand, with the Congress seeking action against those allegedly involved in the purification exercise, while the BJP has questioned the political allegations being levelled against its leaders.
