Usha Thakur claims 4.5 lakh girls eloped during Garba every year
Madhya Pradesh BJP MLA Usha Thakur has claimed that 4.5 lakh girls used to elope with non-Hindu men during Navratri Garba celebrations every year. She advocated restricting non-Hindu entry to Garba pandals, while Congress demanded a public apology
Indore: Madhya Pradesh BJP MLA Usha Thakur has claimed that earlier, 4.5 lakh girls used to elope with non-Hindu men during ‘garba’ celebrations of Navratri every year in the country, resulting in a change in the demographics.
Thakur, who represents the Dr Ambedkar Nagar-Mhow Assembly constituency in Indore district, made the claim while advocating a ban on the entry of non-Hindus into garba pandals.
The opposition Congress has termed her remarks an insult to the identity of Hindu women and demanded a public apology from her.
Thakur told reporters on Tuesday that the entry of non-Hindus into garba celebrations was affecting the country’s “demographic change” as 4.5 lakh girls used to elope with non-Hindus every year during garba.
Navratri, marked by traditional spiritual garba dance accompanied by dandiya (striking of colourful sticks), will be celebrated from September 22 to October 1.
The Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) has said that only Hindus should be given entry to ‘garba’ events and advised organisers to check the Aadhaar cards of entrants for identification to avoid instances of “love jihad”.
“These adult girls used to give birth to one child each year, impacting demographic change at the rate of nine lakh children per year,” the MLA claimed, without citing any scientific or logical basis.
Thakur, often in the news for her controversial statements, is also the spokesperson for the state unit of the ruling BJP.
In light of this alleged situation, she said Hindu community organisations have vowed to bar entry into any garba pandal for those who do not practise idol worship.
“As part of their nefarious conspiracy, these people sometimes wear a tilak on their foreheads, sometimes wear a sacred thread on the wrist worn by Hindus, also known as a protective thread, and participate in our garba festivals, misleading the girls and making their lives hell,” the legislator claimed.
Thakur said that no patriotic citizen can allow these alleged tactics to continue, and therefore, non-Hindu people will be barred from entering all garba pandals for life.
She also praised the efforts of Hindu community organisations to stop the “commercialisation of garba celebrations”.
The BJP MLA said, “I thank all my brothers from the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal because the commercial form of garba that is emerging seems to have almost eliminated the devotion to the Goddess.” She stressed that garba is a festival of worship of Shakti.
Thakur said, “…but commercial garba celebrations have distorted it so much that the festival has now become a medium for displaying clothes, jewellery, and tattoos, which is not permitted by Hindu spiritual customs.”
Congress media coordinator Neelabh Shukla criticised the statement, saying, “Thakur is insulting the identity of Hindu women and questioning their character without any evidence. She should apologise publicly.”
Earlier, another BJP MLA in the state, Rameshwar Sharma, also sparked controversy by commenting on the entry of Muslims into garba pandals.
Sharma, the MLA from Bhopal’s Huzur constituency, had said at an event on Monday that Muslim youth should not come alone to garba and that they should bring their sisters and daughters along.
The Congress and other opposition parties have criticised Sharma’s remarks.
