India, Aug. 14 -- A row erupted in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday after the Leader of Opposition (LoP)and Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge alleged a 'shuddhikaran' (purification)ceremony was held at the venue where he addressed a rally in Uttarakhand. Terming the incident "unfortunate," Union Minister JP Nadda asserted that the BJP does not subscribe to such activities.

The issue has already created a political stir in Uttarakhand, where the Congress and the BJP have been trading charges over the ritual at Haldwani's Ram Lila Ground. It was held by a right-wing outfit two days after Kharge, a Dalit, addressed a public rally at the venue.

Raising the matter in the Upper House, Kharge claimed that BJP workers performed a "havan" and carried...