The bjp district president from Indore, Chintu Verma, recently advised the organizers of Garba celebrations during navratri to require devotees to consume cow urine (gaumutra) before allowing them to attend the event. Verma feels that this will ensure only Hindus join the pandals. He continued by saying that although aadhar cards and other official papers may be falsified and altered, a cow's urine sacrifice is an unbreakable and "final barometer" of a person's Hindu beliefs.
He went on to say that this action was necessary to stop non-Hindus from attending the gatherings, as he believed this may spark debates among the community. The opposition has not held back when denouncing Chintu Verma's absurd comments, which they claim are nothing more than a last-ditch effort to incite religious conflict. The mp Congress spokesman, Neelabh Shukla, criticized the bjp for prioritizing community polarization above working to improve the state's mismanaged cow shelters. In a humorous move, Shukla also asked the bjp leadership to take the test and record it first so that others may emulate them.
This is not a novel or unprecedented occurrence in indian politics. Regardless of their political party or philosophy, we frequently hear about politicians who want to split and separate people on the basis of religion, caste, and creed in order to get votes for themselves. Politicians should ideally bring people together and spearhead a coordinated effort to advance national development, but the unfortunate truth is that they frequently fan the flames of separation and hostility.