To purify the Jaipur Municipal Corporation Heritage (JMCH) office of alleged corruption and to symbolically “convert” Congress councillors who had switched allegiances to the BJP, Hawa Mahal MLA Balmukund Acharya performed a purification ritual on Wednesday. He sprinkled a mixture of Gangajal (holy water from the Ganges) and gomutra (cow urine) on both the councillors and the premises.
The councillors and officials symbolically “drank” the mixture as it was sprinkled on their faces, even touching their lips. This act was part of Acharya’s effort to purify the environment ahead of the new mayor’s assumption of office, according to The Indian Express.
The BJP had earlier removed JMCH Mayor Munesh Gurjar over corruption allegations and replaced her with Kusum Yadav, supported by seven Congress councillors who had defected to the BJP, along with an independent councillor. Before Yadav officially took charge on Wednesday, Acharya led the purification ceremony, which involved sprinkling Gangajal and gomutra throughout the JMCH office and on the councillors.
Acharya, a first-time MLA from Jaipur’s Hawa Mahal constituency and a local religious leader at the Hathoj Dham temple, commented on the event, saying, “We have purified the place with Gangajal and removed all impurities. After prayers with Vedic mantras, the new Mayor has taken charge on this auspicious Navami day. Now, the municipal corporation will operate in an environment of purity.”
As for the Congress councillors who had joined the BJP, Acharya remarked, “They have been given Gangajal and gomutra, and the Vedic mantras have entered their ears. Now they are fully Sanatanis (followers of Sanatan Dharma). As Sanatanis, they are with us to beautify this city.”
Acharya explained that even the JMCH officials had been purified, saying, “Until now, they were impure and forced into corrupt practices. Now they are free of corruption.” When asked whether the officials were also given Gangajal and gomutra, he replied, “Everyone has been fed Gangajal and gomutra before the new Mayor took charge. In our culture, this purifies and cleanses any past wrongdoings, allowing them to work with purity from now on.”
Speaking to The Indian Express, Acharya confirmed that he regularly carries a bottle containing the mixture in his car and drinks it daily. He said he had sprinkled the councillors with the liquid, adding, “They can’t deny that the water touched them.”
One of the councillors, Manoj Mudgal, shared that Acharya had sprinkled Gangajal to cleanse the corporation of corruption and negativity. “He sprinkled it in the Mayor’s office and cabin and we were in the PA’s room when he sprinkled it on us. In Hinduism, Gangajal and gomutra are often used during havan ceremonies for cleanliness and sanctity,” he said.
Another councillor, Jyoti Chauhan, noted, “He is our elder and senior. He sprinkled Gangajal throughout the JMC Heritage head office, saying he was ridding it of corruption.”
Congress councillor Uttam Sharma also recounted the event: “He was purifying the entire corporation. We happened to be in the room when he started spraying it on us, but his intention was not to make us drink it. The whole premises were corrupt, not the councillors.”