Proper Clothes, Tika, Aadhaar: Bajrang Dal Lays Down Rules For Navratra Garba

Signboards, posters and warnings, dos and don'ts on how garba festivities are to be conducted have come up across the cities of Kota and Bhilwara in Rajasthan. At Nayapura, sabzi mandi and Jhalawar road in Kota, huge hoardings by the Bajrang Dal and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad have come up, barring non-Hindus from garba celebrations and proclaiming that inappropriate or risque songs are definitely a no no. 

Aadhar cards will be needed to get entry into garba pandals and everyone will have to agree to sport a tilak, they have also said. 

In Kota, the Bajrang Dal has formed teams to conduct surprise checks at garba events to ensure that guidelines are being followed. 

"These days, we are seeing that Navrati has become a disco. People are going for garba events, smoking cigarettes and playing inappropriate music. It doesn't even appear to be a religious event dedicated to the mother goddess," said Naresh Prajapat, the Kota city coordinator of the Bajrang Dal.  

"It has become a disco. We are only saying that conduct the programm the way it should be done. There should be aartis, Aadhar cards will be checked non-Hindus will not be allowed," he added.

People's clothes should also be appropriate, said Monu Sonu, the group's city chief. 

"Women should wear proper clothes as it is a religious function. This is a function of Hindu society and should be conducted accordingly. We will go to all pandals in the city and check. If we find anyone suspicious, we can ask for their Aadhar cards. Our advice to women is -- wear traditional clothes. You look nice in those and wear those in cultural programmes," he said.

The Bajrang Dal's narrative has now invaded the political space. 
BJP president Madan Rathore went a step further and said, "Women and men should have different garba events".

"There are many people whose participation in these garba events is not just for cultural or religious reasons and unwanted people often gain entry for different purposes. If anyone makes efforts to stop this type of people from entering it is all right," he added.

Leader of the Opposition Tikaram Jully said the BJP is trying to divert people's attention from the real issues in Rajasthan. They should focus instead on flood relief, crop damage due to the floods and the very real threat of seasonal illnesses, he said.