Dehradun, February 26 Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami accused Congress leader Rahul Gandhi of "appeasement politics" on Thursday, claiming that Gandhi 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 a recent case involving a gym owner in Kotdwar.
"When someone adds Mohammad to their name, the Congress 'prince' (Rahul Gandhi) invites him to his palace and has his supporters organize 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 became known as "Mohammad Deepak" after taking on Bajrang Dal activists allegedly harassing a Muslim shopkeeper after a dispute in Kotdwar.
Taking a swipe at Gandhi, Dhami said that Gandhi never tried to understand the plight of Muslim women suffering from various social evils.
"The Congress 'prince' should explain 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.