Haldwani, Sept. 9 -- Uttarakhand BJP president Mahendra Bhatt on Tuesday accused the Congress of attempting to divide society along caste lines, while the opposition party hit back, claiming that the ruling party was facing growing political pressure in the state and questioning the purpose behind BJP national president Nitin Nabin's visit to Haldwani on September 9 and 10. "Congress divides, while the BJP unites. Earlier, the Congress divided society in the name of religion. Now, there is an attempt to create divisions on caste lines, but it will not succeed," Bhatt said, while interacting with media persons in Haldwani. Commenting on the controversy surrounding the alleged 'purification' havan conducted at Ramlila Maidan following Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge's visit, Bhatt reiterated that those who organised the ritual had no connection with BJP. He said that, according to accounts shared on social media by people involved in the ritual, liquor bottles and garbage were allegedly found at the venue and slogans associated with a particular religion were raised. "This was the reason cited for conducting the purification havan," he said. Responding to questions over Amit Kumar, who filed a complaint against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, and allegations that he did not belong to the Valmiki sub-caste, Bhatt said a person's stated caste was generally accepted unless evidence suggested otherwise. "If someone has declared a false caste, it is a matter for investigation," he said. Bhatt also denied that Kumar was a BJP member. He said Kumar's brother had contested a municipal councillor election on a BJP ticket, but that did not establish any association between Kumar and the party. "I personally ordered an inquiry into the matter. It was established that Amit Kumar has no association with the BJP," Bhatt said. On the FIR registered against him in Karnataka in connection with the controversy, Bhatt said he would follow the due legal process. "The matter has nothing to do with the BJP. We will give a legal response to the FIR," he said. Speaking about the upcoming visit of BJP national president Nitin Nabin, Bhatt said that meetings of the state executive committee and the Uttarakhand core committee would be held during the visit. He said discussions would focus on the political resolution and the party's strategy for securing victory under "Mission 2027". Meetings with youth and ex-servicemen would also be organised, he added. Meanwhile, Congress chief spokesperson Garima Mehra Dasauni accused the BJP leadership of violating democratic decorum in connection with the treatment allegedly meted out to Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge at the Ramlila Ground in Haldwani. She alleged that instead of handling the situation, chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and state BJP president Mahendra Bhatt had further aggravated the controversy....