Garbas now medium for ‘love jihad’, no entry sans ID cards: MP minister

BHOPAL: A fortnight ahead of Navratri celebrations, Madhya Pradesh minister for tourism and culture Usha Thakur on Thursday said that no one will be permitted into Garba pandals without ID cards. While the Indore MLA maintained that garbas had ‘become a medium for love jihad’ and hence the new rule, the state BJP unit defended the move calling it merely a ‘precautionary measure’.

Speaking to reporters in Gwalior on Thursday, Thakur said, “Garbe mein jo bhi aaye, who aapna identity card saath lekar aaye. Bagair pehchaan ke Garbo mein koi pravesh nahi kar sakta. (Whoever comes to attend any Garba event, should carry their identity cards. No one will be permitted into Garba withoutidentification. ). ” “This is our advice and warning for all. Our cultural organisations and people are very much aware of this. Since Garbas have become a medium for love jihad, it has become mandatory that no one be allowed to enter Garbas by concealing their identity,” Thakur said.

This is not the first time she has spoken about Garba andlove jihad. In 2014, Thakur courted controversy by warning Garba organizers not to allow nonHindus to Garba events and to “screen participants on the basis of their voter cards”.

The state Congress reacted strongly to Thakur’s comment, and accused BJP of “deliberately creating an atmosphere of hatred and fear for electoral gain”. PCC media department chairman K K Mishra said,

“With elections approaching, these kinds of statements are being given out intentionally. The ‘love jihad’ allegation levelled by the minister is humiliation of Hindus and Hindu religion. Be it Usha Thakur or any other BJP leader, such statements are coldly calculated and purposeful defamation of Hindus and Hindutva. ”
BJP defended Thakur and said that the BJP has only suggested that people carry identity cards to Garba venues “as a precaution since Congress and the Popular Front of India (PFI) are trying to create conflict”.

“Congress and PFI are trying to create Hindu-Muslim conflict for their political gains,” alleged BJP senior spokesperson Dr Hitesh Vajpayee. “Just to avoid any such situation, the minister has advised that people carry their identitycards. ”