Congress MLA Geeta Bhukkal recently faced criticism for anti-Brahmin remarks she made in the Haryana Assembly on Tuesday (1st September). During a discussion on the government proposal regarding the Sant Guru Ravidas Ji Maharaj Samrasta Sankalp Abhiyan, Bhukkal quoted a couplet attributed to Sant Ravidas to target the Brahmin community.
The couplet reads, “ब्राह्मण ना पूजिये जो होवें गुणहीन, पूजिये चरण चांडाल के जो होवें गुण परवीन।” (Do not worship a Brahmin if he is not righteous; instead, worship a Chandal who is virtuous). Explaining the couplet, Bhukkal said that a person should not be respected just because he is a Brahmin unless he is virtuous. She then attacked BJP MLA Ram Kumar Gautam, who comes from the Brahmin community, and accused him of spreading casteism. She said that Brahmins like Gautam should not be respected.
Bhukkal’s remarks targeting the Brahmin community stirred a political storm in the assembly as the ruling BJP registered a strong protest against her statement. After the backlash, Bhukkal’s remarks were reportedly expunged by the assembly speaker, Harvinder Kalyan, from the assembly records.
Chandigarh: Haryana Congress MLA Geeta Bhukkal says, "Mr. Speaker, I can say, though I was initially thinking I shouldn't—'Do not worship a Brahmin who is without virtues; worship the feet of a Chandal who is virtuous.' It is not necessary that someone who is a Brahmin is a great… pic.twitter.com/gYQpF7pyIM
— IANS (@ians_india) September 1, 2026
The Congress MLA later clarified her remarks before the media. She said that she quoted the couplet to target BJP MLA Gautam and not the entire Brahmin community, alleging that the BJP MLA uttered something disrespectful to the Leader of the Opposition in the assembly. Bhukkal added that seeing that her words had caused major outrage, she herself requested the speaker to expunge them from assembly records.
Chandigarh: Haryana Congress MLA Geeta Bhukkal says, "Look, Sant Shiromani Guru Ravidas Ji said that a person becomes great or humble by their deeds, not by birth. Given the habit of Ram Kumar Gautam Ji—where he stood up and made very indecent comments targeted at our Leader of… pic.twitter.com/yzXsYXIYOW
— IANS (@ians_india) September 1, 2026
Notably, Bhukkal’s remarks targeting the Brahmin community come amid the Congress Party’s recent caste rhetoric. Recently, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi accused the BJP of being anti-Dalit and promoting untouchability. Gandhi alleged that some BJP workers performed a Shuddhikaran (purification) of a Congress rally venue in Haldwani, Uttarakhand, after Congress national President, Mallikarjun Kharge, who is a Dalit, attended the rally. Based on the allegation, Gandhi tried to reignite and push a casteist narrative against the ruling BJP.
Gandhi’s allegations were, however, debunked by a Hindu Dalit man who was among the organisers of the puja ceremony at the Congress rally venue in Haldwani. The man named Ankit Pal told the media that his organisation, Shri Ram Seva Dharmarth Nyas, performed the puja ceremony to clean the place, which was left extremely filthy after the Congress rally.
He said that the place where the Congress rally was organised is used for the Ram Lila event, and it was left littered with trash and urine-filled bottles. This was the reason that the organisation cleaned the place and performed a puja ceremony there to restore the place’s sanctity.
