India, Aug. 30 -- BJP leaders on Sunday, August 30, accused Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi of using the issue of untouchability to target the ruling party and invoking the Dalit identity of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge for political gains.

The BJP's remarks came a day after Gandhi demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi order an FIR against those who allegedly carried out 'shuddhikaran' (purification) at a venue in Uttarakhand's Haldwani where Kharge had addressed a rally.

Gandhi had said the alleged purification, carried out by BJP and RSS workers on August 10, two days after Kharge's rally, amounted to a crime under the Constitution. He had also said Kharge raised the issue in Parliament on August 13. ...