BJP Leader Chintu Verma’s Remark on Cow Urine at Navratri Sparks Controversy

Chintu Verma, the BJP District President of Indore, suggested that people should sip cow urine before entering Garba pandals during the Navratri festival for purification. This remark led to a controversy, prompting Verma to clarify that it was his personal view and not a mandatory practice.

Verma explained, “Yesterday I expressed my words with a very sacred feeling, but many people and Congress turned it into a controversy. I believe that everyone has their own religious beliefs. Our country India is a country where all religions exist. My personal views were not such that there is any compulsion or restriction, it was just a sacred feeling.”

He added, “We belong to a Sanatan culture and traditions have been going on since the time of sages. Even today we follow those things. I believe that what I said yesterday was my personal opinion and it should not be given the form of any kind of controversy.”

Reacting to Verma’s remark, Congress MLA from Bhopal Madhya assembly seat Arif Masood said, “Their (BJP) work is to spread hatred. Even in religious and good events, their effort is to find an angle that creates hatred. My personal opinion is that he did not say anything bad. Their religion has a different culture, if it is allowed in their religion, so what is wrong in it. We are people who believe in the Constitution. Everyone in the country has rights, and whoever wants to go after drinking it (cow urine) can go, what objection do we have. We will not make any comment on it.”

Earlier, Verma had stated, “Navratri is our festival of Shakti. Both those who worship Mata Rani and those who watch it are devotees. We have expressed the idea that a cow is our mother and we observe Aachman of Gaumutra (sip of cow urine) for purification. So, I shared my view that people should take a sip of gaumutra before entering the Garba pandal which will be a prasad as well as a form of purification.”