BJP Leader's 'Gaumutra' Demand Sparks Controversy During Navratri

A BJP leader in Indore district has requested that Navratri festival attendees perform 'aachman' with cow urine before entering garba pandals. Congress has criticized this demand as a polarizing tactic. The BJP leader claims it's rooted in Sanatan culture, while Congress accuses BJP of politicizing religious practices.

A BJP functionary from Indore district has stirred controversy by urging organisers to make people sip ''gaumutra'' (cow urine) before letting them in garba pandals during the Navratri festival, asserting that a true Hindu would never refuse this precondition.

Congress has slammed this call, labeling it as a new polarizing tactic by the saffron party. According to Chintu Verma, the BJP district president, the practice known as 'aachman,' where a sip of water is taken while reciting mantras for purification, has deep significance in Sanatan culture.

Verma reasoned that implementing 'aachman' with cow urine would ensure that only Hindus, who comply without objection, enter the Garba pandals. The opposition, represented by MP Congress spokesman Neelabh Shukla, accused BJP of neglecting cow shelters while using religious practices for political gain and demanded BJP leaders lead by example.

(With inputs from agencies.)