Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Sunday, 4 October 2026, launched a sharp attack on the Indian National Congress, accusing the party of 'fabricating' issues and claiming it had 'exposed' itself over the alleged purification ritual performed at the Haldwani event venue of Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge. Speaking during an interaction in Uttarakhand's border town of Banbasa, Dhami also weighed in on the implementation of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) and took aim at Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi.

The Haldwani Shuddhikaran Row

Responding to allegations that BJP functionaries orchestrated a purification ritual at the Congress President's event venue in Haldwani, Dhami offered a different account. He claimed that members of the Scheduled Caste community — described as 'artisan brothers and Valmiki brothers' — conducted the 'Shuddhi Havan' because, he alleged, 'jihadi' slogans were being raised at the site.

'It was a religious site, yet it was politicised with claims of insults to individuals or castes — even though there was no such incident before or after the event, nor any press release or video evidence was available. In fact, members of the Dalit and Scheduled Caste communities themselves participated in it,' Dhami said.

He went on to accuse the Congress of creating the controversy out of thin air. 'When the truth came to light, the Congress party was completely exposed. They have no real issues, so they fabricate them. So after a few days, they have to face embarrassment,' he said. The Congress, for its part, has maintained that the ritual was orchestrated to insult Kharge.

Cabinet Meeting at the India-Nepal Border

The interaction took place in Banbasa, which hosted Uttarakhand's first-ever Cabinet meeting near the India-Nepal border. Dhami explained that the choice of venue was rooted in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of designating border villages as 'first villages' to prioritise their development.

'The villages would be comprehensively established, and planned by capitalising on their future potential,' Dhami said, noting that the Banbasa-Tanakpur region is home to the revered Maa Purnagiri Dham and lies along the banks of the Sharda river. The area also serves as a route for the Kailash-Mansarovar and Adi Kailash pilgrimages. He indicated the government intends to hold future Cabinet meetings at other locations across the state as part of a decentralisation push.

Uttarakhand's UCC Implementation

On the Uniform Civil Code, Dhami reiterated that the state had fulfilled an election promise made during the 2022 Assembly polls. The UCC draft was prepared under the chairmanship of retired Supreme Court judge Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai, following consultations with multiple stakeholders.

'Now it is being followed by others,' Dhami said, in an apparent reference to other Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and National Democratic Alliance (NDA)-ruled states. Uttarakhand remains the first state in India to have enacted and implemented a UCC law.

Dhami's Broadside Against Rahul Gandhi

Dhami was sharply critical of Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi's recent public campaigns, including the 'Chhatron Ki Goonj' programme. He alleged that Gandhi had mocked Prime Minister Modi's gesture of offering a chair to an elderly woman, and used inappropriate language against National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, who hails from Uttarakhand.

'Ajit Doval is the son of Uttarakhand who brought pride to the entire nation. He has dedicated his entire life to India's security — both internal and external. The language which has been used to describe him is appalling,' Dhami said.

He also recalled that Congress leaders had previously used derogatory language against the late Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, who also belonged to Uttarakhand. 'This reveals their true mentality,' he said.

On the SIR Electoral Rolls Controversy

Addressing the Opposition's demand for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, Dhami defended the exercise. He argued that the revision was removing fake entries, votes of infiltrators, and names registered at multiple locations — steps he described as necessary electoral hygiene.

'Earlier, elections were influenced through these (fake) votes. There used to be electoral malpractices and bogus voting,' he said, adding that the Opposition's pattern is to oppose every institution — from the Election Commission to the courts. The SIR process remains contentious, with the Opposition describing it as targeted disenfranchisement.

With Assembly elections in multiple states on the horizon and the UCC debate gathering momentum nationally, Dhami's remarks signal that Uttarakhand will remain a political flashpoint in the months ahead.