Rahul Gandhi Likely To Be In Alwar Today Amid Row Over Temple Purification

A BJP leader's move to purify the Ram temple in Alwar after Congress's Dalit leader Tika Ram Jully visited it, has sparked a massive political row. Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is expected to be in Alwar on Monday. The Alwar district administration is bracing for protests by Dalit groups on Ambedkar Jayanti. They are demanding that the BJP's former MLA Gyan Dev Ahuja apologise for his act. Mr Ahuja has refused.

The BJP, apprehensive of a shift in its Dalit vote bank, has been quick to suspend Mr Ahuja from the party and sent him a notice. 

But Mr Gandhi's visit is expected bound to escalate the caste dynamics and polarisation in Alwar and the Congress is hoping to capitalise on the controversy. 

The Scheduled Caste vote bank is crucial for Alwar, with two seats reserved out of the six in the area. The situation also can be a game changer in other seats in Alwar district. 

With a key political vote bank at stake, the Congress is not going to step back.

Mr Gandhi has accused the BJP of having an "anti-Dalit mindset". He has also asserted that the country should be run by the Constitution and not ancient texts like "Manusmriti" "which considers Bahujans as second class citizens".

Mr Ahuja had sprinkled Ganga water at the Ram temple to "purify" it last week -- a day after Congress's Tika Ram Jully attended the consecration ceremony. Congress leaders, including Mr Jully, slammed the act as an insult to a Dalit.

Mr Ahuja said there was no caste angle to his act. He also slammed the Congress, saying the party leaders have "no moral authority" to attend such ceremonies since they had "boycotted" the consecration ceremony of the Ram temple in Ayodhya.