New Delhi/Dehradun, Aug. 14 -- Vice-President and Rajya Sabha Chairman CP Radhakrishnan on Thursday instructed the government to conduct a thorough inquiry into the alleged "purification of a site" where Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge addressed a gathering in Uttarakhand and said action must be taken against the guilty. The instruction came after Kharge spoke about the issue in the Upper House. He said some "BJP [Bharatiya Janata Party] people" carried out the purification at Haldwani's Ram Lila Maidan, where he addressed the gathering. The BJP is in power in Uttarakhand, which is due to go to polls next year. Kharge said he did not take the name of any religion, and only referred to problems being faced by people. ".but some BJP people conducted a havan at the stage and shuddikaran [purification].is this the way in a democracy. I am the leader of the Opposition [in Rajya Sabha]," he said. Kharge said he is not making it a political issue, but a case under the Untouchability (Offences) Act should be filed against the accused, and they should be arrested. Untouchability is outlawed, and practising it in any form is a punishable offence. Union minister and the House leader JP Nadda said the BJP condemns the incident. "The BJP does not subscribe to such activities. The incident is painful not just for the Congress but for all of us." As the Opposition continued to protest, Nadda said an investigation will be conducted and assured the House that action will be taken. "We condemn this, and this is a regrettable issue for all of us," Nadda said. The chairman said an insult to Kharge was an insult to everyone. "If untouchability is not a sin, then there is no sin in the world. we all condemn untouchability.all are purified and no need for anyone to purify us again and again." He then directed the government to investigate and punish the guilty. Meanwhile, a political controversy erupted in Uttarakhand over the matter, with the Congress accusing the BJP and its affiliates of promoting caste-based discrimination. The BJP, however, distanced itself from the ritual and alleged that the Congress is politicising the incident. Leader of opposition in the state assembly Yashpal Arya described the purification of the stage as "extremely shameful, despicable and condemnable," adding the incident reflected a narrow and discriminatory mindset. "Political leaders should work to unite society rather than create divisions on the basis of caste or social hierarchy," Arya said, adding that Kharge was among the country's senior political leaders and had been associated with issues concerning the Constitution, democracy, social justice and the rights of marginalised communities. Girish Chandra Pandey, president of Shri Ram Sena Dharmarth Seva Nyas, said the organisation had "no objection to any individual, caste or community and that its objection was to the use of a religious venue for political purposes". He said waste had been left at the site after the rally and that members of the organisation first cleaned the premises before carrying out what they described as a "Shuddhi Yajna". No FIR had been registered in connection with the incident till Thursday evening. Responding to remarks by Kharge and statements by Arya, Union minister of state Ajay Tamta said, "BJP does not support such activities...Congress should not view every issue through the prism of caste."...