BJP Leader Clarifies Controversial Navratri 'Gaumutra' Remark

BJP's Chintu Verma retracts his statement urging Navratri garba participants to sip cow urine, citing it as his personal view after backlash from political adversaries and public. Congress MLA Arif Masood emphasizes everyone’s constitutional rights, noting different religious customs.

In a recent turn of events, BJP leader Chintu Verma from Indore retracted his statement urging participants to sip cow urine before entering garba pandals during Navratri. Verma stated that this was his personal belief and not intended as a directive, following public uproar and opposition from various quarters.

Verma clarified, 'Yesterday I expressed my words with a very sacred feeling, but many people and Congress turned it into a controversy. It was just a sacred feeling and not a compulsion or restriction.' He underscored that his comments were based on personal religious beliefs rooted in Sanatan culture and traditions.

Contrarily, Congress MLA Arif Masood from Bhopal's Madhya assembly appreciated the intent behind Verma's statement. He remarked that while BJP often looks to create discord, Verma's suggestion, rooted in religious customs, shouldn't be seen as problematic. Masood added, 'Everyone has rights, and if someone wishes to follow their religious practices, there's no objection.'

Initially, Verma had declared, 'Navratri is our festival of Shakti. A cow is our mother, and we observe Aachman of Gaumutra (sip of cow urine) for purification. It was my personal view that people should take a sip of gaumutra before entering the garba pandal as a prasad and purification form.'

(With inputs from agencies.)