Make people sip cow urine before garba pandal entry: Indore BJP leader

A BJP functionary from Indore district on Monday urged organisers to make people sip gaumutra (cow urine) before letting them in garba pandals during the Navratri festival, as a Hindu can never refuse this precondition.

The Congress questioned the BJP leader's call, terming it a new tactic of polarisation by the saffron party.

Proposing aachman, BJP district president Chintu Verma told reporters that the aachman practice has great significance in Sanatan culture. "We have requested organisers to ensure devotees do aachman with cow urine before allowing them to enter garba pandals," he said.

According to Hindu customs, aachman means taking a sip of water while reciting mantras for purification before starting religious rituals.

Queried about the rationale behind this demand, Verma said sometimes some people join these events which generate certain discussions.

"Aadhaar card can be edited. However, if a person is a Hindu, he will enter the garba pandal only after aachman with cow urine and there is no question of refusing it," he reasoned.

MP Congress spokesman Neelabh Shukla alleged that BJP leaders are silent on the plight of cow shelters and are only interested in politicising this issue.

"Raising the cow urine aachman demand is the BJP's new trick of playing polarisation politics,'' he said and demanded that BJP leaders sip cow urine before entering pandals and post videos on social media.