BJP leader urges Garba organizers to offer “gaumutra” to attendees in Madhya Pradesh

Madhya Pradesh’s BJP leader has suggested that gaumutra (cow urine) be given to Hindus for entry at Garba events, claiming it ensures only Hindus participate.

A BJP leader from Madhya Pradesh has suggested that Garba event attendees sip gaumutra (cow urine) for entry, claiming that it will ensure only Hindus participate in the Navratri events. The leader has stirred up a row suggesting this and urging Garba event organizers to make people sip gaumutra before entering the pandal.

BJP leader creates controversy by urging Garba event organizers to make Hindus sip cow urine.

In Madhya Pradesh, a BJP leader has created headlines for suggesting Hindus drink gaumutra before entering Navratri events. He said this would ensure that only Hindus enter Garba pandals during the Navratri festival. Chintu Verma, BJP’s Indore president, told reporters, “We have requested (Garba) organizers to ensure everyone does ‘aachaman’ with cow urine before allowing them to enter garba pandals.” When asked about the motive behind this demand, he added, “Aadhaar card can be edited. However, if a person is a Hindu, he will enter the Garba pandal only after aachaman of cow urine, and there is no question of refusing it.” As per Hindu customs, “aachaman” means taking a sip of water while reciting mantras for purification before starting religious rituals.

Congress questions the BJP leader on his demand.

The Congress has questioned the BJP’s leaders’ demand and has termed it a new tactic of polarization by the party just ahead of assembly elections in Haryana, Jammu, and Kashmir. Later this year, Maharashtra is also set to elect a new assembly. Congress spokesperson Neelabh Shukla alleged that the BJP is quiet on the plight of cow shelters and are only interested in politicizing this issue. He said, “Raising the cow urine aachman demand is the BJP’s new trick of playing polarization politics,” and demanded that BJP leaders must sip cow urine before entering pandals and post videos on social media.

The BJP leader’s gaumutra sipping demand seems to be hinted at a 2022 incident where several Muslim men were arrested for entering and causing a disturbance at a Garba pandal in Madhya Pradesh.