Controversy erupts after Bihar Temple washed following Kanhaiya’s visit : Congress askswill non BJP people would be treated as untouchables ?
A fresh controversy erupted in Bihar’s Saharsa district on Thursday following the alleged washing of a temple soon after a visit by Congress leader Kanhaiya Kumar. The incident has sparked a political debate, with the Congress party questioning whether supporters of non-BJP parties were being treated as “untouchables,” while the BJP interpreted the act as a rejection of Kumar’s political ideology.
The event in question took place at the revered Goddess Durga temple in Bangaon village, where Kanhaiya Kumar had stopped as part of his ongoing ‘Palayan Roko, Naukri Do’ (Stop Migration, Provide Jobs) yatra. As part of his visit, Kumar addressed the local people from within the temple premises, discussing issues related to employment and migration.
Shortly after he left the temple and moved on with his yatra, a video surfaced online showing individuals purportedly washing the temple premises. The video quickly went viral on social media, triggering widespread discussion and debate. The act of washing the temple following Kumar’s visit has been perceived by many as a deliberate move to indicate purification, which has drawn sharp criticism from various quarters.
Despite the growing political uproar, Kanhaiya Kumar himself chose not to comment on the incident. However, Congress party spokesperson Gyan Ranjan Gupta strongly reacted to the issue. Expressing his concerns, Gupta told The Indian Express, “We demand to know if only supporters of the RSS and BJP are considered pious, while the rest of the people in this country are deemed untouchable. This act of so-called purification is an insult to the descendants of Lord Parshuram. Are we witnessing an era of extreme Sanskritisation where individuals affiliated with non-BJP parties will be treated as outcasts?”
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), on the other hand, responded by downplaying the incident while pointing out that it reflected a rejection of Kanhaiya Kumar’s political stance. BJP spokesperson Asit Nath Tiwari commented, “Before jumping to conclusions, we must first verify the identity of those who washed the temple after Kanhaiya Kumar’s visit. However, if this act indeed took place, it signals the clear rejection of Kumar’s style of politics by the local people. It is their sentiment, and we should respect their choices.”
Meanwhile, some residents of Bangaon village sought to distance themselves from the controversy, stating that the temple is a place of worship open to people from all caste groups and backgrounds. An elderly resident, speaking anonymously, said, “We have never imposed any caste-based restrictions on those visiting the temple. Anyone can offer prayers here. If someone washed the temple after Kumar’s visit, it may have been the work of a few mischief-makers rather than a widespread sentiment among villagers.”
Notably, Kanhaiya Kumar belongs to the upper-caste Bhumihar community, making the incident even more perplexing for some observers. The political implications of the event have added fuel to ongoing debates surrounding caste, religion, and political affiliations in Bihar’s sociopolitical landscape.
Kumar’s ‘Palayan Roko, Naukri Do’ yatra, which began on March 16 from West Champaran, is aimed at addressing unemployment and migration issues in Bihar. The first phase of the campaign is scheduled to conclude on March 31 in Kishanganj. Whether this incident will impact his political outreach remains to be seen, but it has undoubtedly added another layer of complexity to Bihar’s already charged political atmosphere.
