A BJP functionary from Indore has courted controversy by suggesting that entry to garba pandals during the Navratri festival should be allowed only after participants are made to sip “gamut” or cow urine. The move, which he termed “Bachman,” has been assailed by the Congress, which said that the BJP was at it again, using its polarising tactics.
BJP district president Chintu Verma said,
“We have asked the organizers to make arrangements so that the devotees take Bachman with gau mutra before entering the garba pandals.”
In Hindu custom, Bachman is a ritual where one is supposed to sip a little water while uttering mantras to purify oneself before worship.
When asked why such a demand exists, Verma said that some people might attend the programs without correctly identifying their faith.
“An Aadhaar card can be tampered with. But if any person is a Hindu, he will come inside the garba pandal only after doing ‘Bachman’ with ‘gau mutra’, and there is no question of denying it,”
He said.
In reply, MP Congress spokesman Neelabh Shukla has termed the BJP’s cow urine demand a political theatre for polarization. “Demanding cow urine Lachman is the latest trump card of the BJP for polarization,” he said. He also dared BJP leaders to consume cow urine before visiting pandals and upload a video of that on social media sites.
