Bharatiya Janata Party’s national president Nitin Nabin on Wednesday accused the Congress of having a “history of insulting Dalits” and using the community as a “vote bank” over the alleged “purification” of a Haldwani rally venue after Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge addressed a gathering there last month.Speaking at the BJP’s extended state executive committee meeting in Haldwani, Nabin accused Congress of trying to turn the episode into a political issue and questioned its record on prominent erstwhile Dalit leaders including B R Ambedkar and Babu Jagjivan Ram.His speech came a day after Uttarakhand Police registered an FIR against unidentified people over the alleged “purification” of Ramlila Maidan, where Kharge had addressed a Congress rally on August 8.The case was registered under provisions including sections 196 and 299 of the BNS and section 3(1)(r) of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Police said they had received around 80 complaints and petitions over the incident.Also Read | Kharge ‘purification’ row : How the ‘shuddhi’ practice started, evolvedAn FIR had earlier been registered against Rahul Gandhi over his remarks on the alleged purification ceremony. Gandhi had described the episode as an example of untouchability and demanded action against those responsible.“What has been their history? Their history has been of insulting Dalits.” Nabin said, referring to the Congress.“When they worked to defeat Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar in the election, Nehru ji had written a letter to Edwin Mountbatten, with great happiness, that we have succeeded in defeating Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar and this is our great victory,” he said.Story continues below this ad“This was your thinking about the country… the person who worked to write the Constitution, the child of a Dalit family who gave direction to the country, your leadership worked to insult him.”Nabin also invoked Jagjivan Ram, a prominent Dalit Congress leader and former deputy prime minister, saying “What kind of misbehaviour did Congress do with Babu Jagjivan Ram, because of which it forced him to leave the party? This has been your history.”He went on to cite alleged attacks on Dalits in Rajasthan, Karnataka and Kerala, accusing Congress leaders of remaining silent because of electoral considerations.“In Rajasthan recently, Congress’s own municipal president, who comes from the Dalit community, was openly beaten, was assaulted by Congress party leaders,” he said.Story continues below this adAlso Read | Row over Mallikarjun Kharge visit ‘purification’: Haldwani police file FIR against ‘unknown’ personsReferring to Karnataka Nabin alleged that the house of former MLA R Akhanda Srinivas Murthy, a Dalit leader, had been burnt by PFI rioters, while Congress leaders did not raise their voice.“This is not some other state. This is Karnataka, the state from where the national president of Congress comes.” He also alleged that a Dalit woman elected representative in Kerala had been attacked by Congress workers.“I am discussing these things because those whose history has been one of insulting Dalits can never respect Dalits,” Nabin said.The BJP’s state executive committee, meeting alongside Nabin, adopted a resolution making a similar argument. It said the alleged purification episode had been presented as part of a broader “anti-Dalit narrative” and argued that any traditional purification practice should be assessed on facts rather than political allegations.Story continues below this adNabin also connected the dispute to a broader BJP argument about Uttarakhand’s identity and demographic change. “Those who worked to damage the demography of this country, those who worked to damage the demography of this state, cannot love the soil of this country.”The BJP resolution similarly says the Uttarakhand government has adopted a policy of strict action against religious conversion, “demographic changes”, illegal encroachment and activities affecting social harmony.Nabin then spoke about the BJP’s 2027 election campaign “We believe that for us, forming a government in Uttarakhand is not merely a state where the BJP has power; it is a state where our ideology is tested and taken forward.”