A political row erupted in Maharashtra on Saturday after Hindutva group Vishwa Hindu Parishad urged garba organisers to bar non-Hindus from entering such events in the state and check Aadhaar cards for identification, The Hindu reported.

“Garba is not merely a dance but a form of worship to please the goddess,” Vishwa Hindu Parishad national spokesperson Shriraj Nair was quoted as saying by the newspaper on Saturday. “They [an apparent reference to Muslims] do not believe in idol worship.”

He said that only those having faith in the rituals must be allowed to participate, further advising organisers to apply a tilak on participants and ensure that they perform a puja before entering garba events.

“VHP and Bajrang Dal workers will monitor the events,” Nair said. “Garba is a form of worship, not entertainment.”

Garba is a Gujarati folk dance, performed in a circular pattern around a lamp or idol, symbolising the Hindu deity Durga. It is performed during the festival of Navratri, which will begin on Monday and end on October 2 this year.

The Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal are part of a group of Hindutva organisations led by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, the parent organisation of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.

Responding to the statement, state Revenue Minister and BJP leader Chandrashekhar Bawankule said: “That is their right. The only decisive factor is whether the event has police permission.”

Bawankule said that garba organising committees should take decisions based on whether the event has police permission, The Hindu reported.

However, Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar said that the Vishwa Hindu Parishad wanted to “set society on fire”.

“They [VHP] want to divide society over religion and reap political benefits out of it,” the state minister was quoted as saying by PTI.

Union minister and Republican Party of India (A) Ramdas Athawale also said that calls such as the one made by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad were an “open invitation to certain extremist elements to incite violence and coercion”.

The Republican Party of India (A) is a part of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance government at the Centre.

“Who is the Vishwa Hindu Parishad to decide who will go to garba and who will not?” Athawale asked on social media. He said that the statements made by the Hindutva group were a serious threat to the social harmony in the country.

“If, due to this advisory, any disputes, violence, or religious conflicts occur anywhere in the country during Navratri, the full responsibility should be held by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and its affiliated organisations,” he said.

Athawale claimed that a handful of organisations and their leaders were working against India’s unity, diversity and religious tolerance today.

The government and administration should immediately take action to ensure that garba organisers receive complete security, Athawale said. “Any form of coercion, identity checking, or attempts at religious discrimination should be strictly stopped under the law.”

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