'Appeasement': Dhami slams Rahul over meeting with 'Mohammad' Deepak

Dehradun, Feb 26 (PTI) Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Thursday accused Congress leader Rahul Gandhi of "appeasement politics", claiming that the Congress leader invites individuals to his 'palace' when someone adds 'Mohammad' to their name.

Addressing a gathering after inaugurating the three-day 'Nayar Valley Adventure Festival-2026' at Bilkhet in Pauri district, the chief minister referred to the recent case of a gym owner in Kotdwar.

"When someone adds Mohammad to their name, the Congress 'Yuvraj' (prince) invites him to his palace and has his supporters organise Iftar parties for such people. As long as he was Deepak, you did not invite him. But the moment he added Mohammad to his name, you called him," Dhami said.

The chief minister was referring to a recent meeting in Delhi between Gandhi and Deepak Kumar, a gym owner from Uttarakhand, who shot into the limelight as "Mohammad Deepak" for taking on Bajrang Dal activists allegedly harassing a Muslim shopkeeper after a dispute in Kotdwar.

Taking a swipe at the Congress leader, Dhami said Gandhi never tried to understand the plight of Muslim women suffering from various social evils.

"The Congress Yuvraj should say if he ever sought to know the condition of our Muslim sisters suffering from practices like triple talaq, 'halala', polygamy and 'Iddat'. He remained silent on these issues," he said.

Dhami further claimed that during his visits across the state, Muslim women express their gratitude for the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) implemented under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He said these women believe that the UCC has freed them from regressive customs.

He added that the Congress and Gandhi should understand that Uttarakhand is 'Devbhoomi' (Land of the Gods), where every child grows up with a sense of nationalism, asserting that their political tactics would not succeed in the state. PTI DPT AKY