New Delhi [India], April 9— The Congress Party has sharply criticized the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), calling it “anti-Dalit” after a controversial incident involving a Dalit leader’s visit to the Ram Temple on the occasion of Ram Navami.
Teeka Ram Julie, Leader of Opposition in the Rajasthan Assembly and a prominent Dalit leader, visited the Ram Temple during the Ram Navami celebrations. Following his visit, a video surfaced showing former BJP MLA Gyandev Ahuja reportedly washing the temple premises with Gangajal (Ganges water). In the footage, Ahuja is heard saying, “Some impure people came, so I poured Ganga jal to purify the temple.”
The Congress Party responded with strong condemnation, labeling the act as another instance of BJP and RSS’s “anti-Dalit mentality.” In a social media post, the Congress said, “The anti-Dalit face of BJP has once again come to the fore… Ahuja says that Dalits are impure. Impure people had entered the temple, so we washed the Ram temple with Gangajal.”
The post further alleged that BJP leaders repeatedly insult Dalits and have intentions to undermine the Constitution. “What Modi’s close aide Gyandev Ahuja has done is a living proof of the BJP’s anti-Dalit mentality,” the statement added.
Congress MP and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, also weighed in on the matter. Taking to X (formerly Twitter), he condemned the incident as a reflection of the BJP’s “anti-Dalit and Manuwadi thinking.”
“Modiji, the country will be run by the Constitution and its ideals, not by Manusmriti, which treats Bahujans as second-class citizens,” Gandhi posted.
The controversy has reignited a broader political debate on caste, religious inclusion, and the role of the Constitution in protecting marginalized communities.