New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is back on the defensive after its ally, Republican Party of India (RPI) head and Union minister Ramdas Athavale on September 4 said that the ‘purification ritual’ at Ramlila ground in Haldwani, after Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge held a rally at the site, was “wrong and unconstitutional.” Kharge belongs to the Dalit community.While the BJP was appearing to mount a counter-attack on the matter Congress MP and leader of opposition, Rahul Gandhi, demanding an FIR on the crime of a so-called purification ritual, Athavale has queered the pitch for the ruling party at the Centre and in the state by calling for action against those who did the purification ritual, reports Dainik Bhaskar.Athavale’s comments come a week after another Union minister, Chirag Paswan, of the Lok Jan Shakti Party (Ram Vilas), an important ally for the National Democracic Alliance at the Centre and Bihar had said the ritual was a “matter of concern”. He had then later turned it into a matter of only Indian society and its unfinished business of reform that such ideas persisted. “The Congress party and its leader – the Leader of the Opposition, Rahul Gandhi – have expressed concern regarding the discrimination Dalits still face today, citing several examples. If the social situation remains unchanged, it is certainly a matter of concern for our government as well; that is why we firmly articulate our stance on various issues,” he told the media in Patna as per NDTV on August 29.However, Athavale jumping in and demanding action against those who organised the so-called purification makes matters tough for the BJP from a political perspective. Uttarakhand BJP president Mahendra Bhatt had defended the “purification” ritual and said that the place was “polluted”.On August 13, Kharge had raised the matter in the Rajya Sabha and said that he was made to feel the “sting of untouchability” when Union minister and leader of the House J.P. Nadda had said action would be taken.“I have the strength to fight. I do fight. Lakhs of people were there at Ramlila Maidan in Haldwani. At that time, I did not mention the name of any community or religion; I only reiterated the issues of the government. But after my speech, you [people associated with Bharatiya Janata Party] tried to insult me by doing a purification ritual [on the stage in Haldwani], you made me feel the sting of untouchability. Is this the way in a democracy? How are you protecting the constitution? I am the LoP,” Kharge had said in the Rajya Sabha.FIR filed against Rahul GandhiRahul Gandhi had held a press conference and said that the ritual was a crime. The argument being that purification is a flipside of the recognition of the prevalence of untouchability, which is banned under the Constitution. An FIR was said to have been lodged against Gandhi invoking the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 instead in the state.Eminent former judge, Madan Lokur, in an interview to The Wire had termed the Uttarakhand police not lodging an FIR against those who performed the so-called shuddhikaran (purification) ritual as “bizarre” and said that it was indeed “a crime” that should have been taken cognizance of.After the FIR was instead lodged against Gandhi, there were nationwide protests held by the Congress. The Nainital police said on September 4 that an investigation had been launched into the filing of the FIR.