'Tilak', Raksha Sutra', 'Gau Mutra': VHP's Criteria For Garba Entry Spark Row

Seeking to ensure that only Hindus get entry to garba events, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) has said people will have to apply a 'tilak' (a mark on the forehead), tie a sacred thread ('raksha sutra') and offer prayers to a Hindu god before being allowed in. 

'Gau mutra', or cow urine, will also be sprinkled on attendees, the organisation's Vidarbha general secretary Prashant Titre said in Nagpur on Saturday, adding that VHP and Bajrang Dal workers will monitor garba pandals to ensure the guidelines are followed during the Navratra celebrations, which begin on Sunday and end on October 1. 

All of this, the VHP said, is necessary to ensure only Hindus enter the events and there are no cases of "love jihad", which is a term used by some right-wing outfits to allege attempted conversion of Hindu girls and women by Muslim men. The issue, incidentally, gets brought up before the Navratra celebrations every year.

"Garba is not merely a dance but a form of worship to please the goddess. They (an apparent reference to Muslims) do not believe in idol worship. Only those having faith in the rituals must be allowed to participate," VHP national spokesperson Shriraj Nair told news agency PTI.

While the opposition has hit out at the VHP and the Sangh for trying to sow division in society by issuing such diktats, Maharashtra minister and senior BJP leader Chandrashekhar Bawankule said organisers can decide who enters such events.

"Every organising committee sets certain rules, and they have a right to do so.  As long as they have police permission to organise the event, there is no problem," Mr Bawankule said. 

Maharashtra BJP media head Navnath Ban said garba is a Hindu event and those from other religions "should not interfere".

Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut, however, said an attempt was being made to create a communal atmosphere in the country.

"Creating a communal atmosphere and this country is their livelihood. I am not talking about equal respect for all religions, but the way this poison is being spread does not behove Maharashtra or the country," he said.

Taking an even stronger stance, the Congress said organisations affiliated with the BJP will stoop to any level to gain or remain in power. 

"They want to divide us further and play politics over religion for their gains. This stance of VHP is not new. Their idea is to make the country unstable. They will go to any level by polluting the situation in the country to gain power. All the BJP organisations follow the same procedure... Unity in diversity has been Maharashtra's strength, it should not be hampered," he said.