JAIPUR: A controversy has erupted after a BJP MLA conducted a 'Purification Ceremony' with Gaumutra and Gangajal for the Congress turncoats at the Jaipur Municipal Corporation.
The recent ceremony to mark the appointment of Kusum Yadav as the new Mayor of Jaipur Municipal Corporation Heritage (JMCH) has sparked the political row.
On Thursday, Yadav officially took charge after a purification ritual involving Gangajal (holy water from the Ganges) and cow urine. The ritual was led by BJP MLA Balmukund Acharya.
The purification ceremony, conducted with Vedic mantras, raised eyebrows when Acharya, who is also the Mahant of Hathoj Dham temple, symbolically purified not only Yadav but also some Congress councilors who had switched allegiance to support the BJP.
In the ritual, both the councilors and officials were made to symbolically 'drink' Gangajal and cow urine as part of the 'purification process'.
Kusum Yadav's appointment follows the removal of Congress mayor Munesh Gurjar, who was ousted due to corruption allegations. Yadav secured her position with the backing of seven Congress councilors and an independent member.
Balmukund Acharya explained that the purification ceremony was necessary to cleanse those involved in the alleged corruption.
"These councilors are now Sanatani"
"We have purified the corporation with Gangajal, removing all impurities," Acharya stated, adding that the Congress councilors who supported the BJP now were made 'Sanatani' (followers of Sanatan Dharma).
He also made tall claims that the entire Jaipur Municipal Corporation had been made 'corruption-free' due to his grand purification ceremony.
The event has been met with criticism from the opposition.
Congress leader Pratap Singh Khachariyawas strongly condemned Acharya’s actions, questioning his authority. "You are an MLA, not a spiritual leader. How can you declare that Congress councilors are now pure and Sanatani? Is Balmukund Acharya the self-appointed guardian of Sanatan Dharma?" he asked.
A cabinet minister in the former Ashok Gehlot government, Khachariyawas also criticised the BJP for relying on the same councilors they sought to 'purify.'
"If these councilors were impure, why did you appoint a mayor with their help?" he remarked.