NAGPUR: The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) has demanded that entry to 'garba and dandiya' events during the upcoming Navratri festival be allowed only after checking the Aadhaar cards of participants in Maharashtra and said those not having faith in Hinduism should be barred from gaining access to such programmes.
VHP Shetra Mantri (Maharashtra-Goa) Govind Shende, in a video statement released here on Tuesday, claimed incidents of 'Love jihad' take place at these events and added 'garba' and 'dandiya' are forms of worship, and not just entertainment, in which girls, women and families participate in large numbers.
'Love jihad' is a term used by right-wing outfits to allege a ploy by Muslim men to lure Hindu women into religious conversion through marriage.
Shende said organisers of such events should put 'tilak' on the forehead of Navratri revellers, tie 'kalava' (red sacred thread worn by Hindus) around their wrists and give them 'gau ark' to drink before allowing them inside the venue.
The VHP leader alleged that in the last few years, it has been witnessed that people who do not have faith in the Bhagavad Gita or Hinduism come to garba events to harass womenfolk.
"People who do not believe in Bhagavad ji or have no faith in Hindu dharma should not be allowed entry into garba events," Shende said in an appeal directed at garba organisers and the local administration.
He also asked garba organisers to allow entry of participants only after checking their identity via Aadhaar cards.
Garba is a Gujarati folk dance performed during the nine-day Navratri festival dedicated to Goddess Durga which will be celebrated from October 15 to 23. Dandiya, which is also part of Navratri celebrations, is another folk dance form performed using colourful sticks.