Margao: State Congress president Girish Chodankar on Friday strongly condemned what he termed an act of caste discrimination against AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge, after a “purification ritual” was allegedly conducted at a venue in Uttarakhand following Kharge’s visit.Chodankar termed the act deeply objectionable and said it exposed the persistence of casteist attitudes at a time when the country claims to have moved beyond such practices. He said the incident was an insult not just to Kharge but to the dalit community and to constitutional values of equality and dignity.The Goa Congress chief said the party would not remain silent on the issue and demanded strict action against those responsible for the act.The controversy comes days ahead of Kharge’s scheduled visit to Goa on Aug 17, when he will address block level agents (BLAs) and booth-level workers of the party as part of the party’s poll preparedness exercise ahead of the 2027 assembly elections.Chodankar accused chief minister Pramod Sawant and his govt of denying permission to hold Kharge’s public meetings at various places, including at Panaji and Margao, thereby compelling the party to organise the meeting at Verna.Party workers said Kharge’s Goa visit, the first since he took over as the party president, assumes significance as the state unit gears up its booth-level machinery.
