BJP leader and Gujarat Cabinet Minister Raghavji Patel has attracted the attention of people with a video of him drinking alcohol during ongoing tribal rituals. The clip that has surfaced on social media and gone viral shows the politician accidentally sipping the drink when served to him on a leaf.
Ritual to worship 'earth'
It is believed that Patel was unaware of the ritual meant to worship Mother Earth by offering alcohol to the soil/ground. When dignitaries assembled at the Adarsh Vidyarthi Shala in Dediapada, Gujarat, to observe World Tribal Day on August 9 were offered drops of alcohol by the tribal priest in a leaf.
BJP MLA Motilal Vasava, former Narmada district BJP Chief Shankar Vasava, and a few other party leaders poured the liquor down as an offering to the earth, Patel drank it without a second thought or observing others.
"Was unaware of tribal customs"
In a media statement to the viral video, Patel clarified and said, "I am unaware of tribal customs... This was my first visit. In our rituals when we are offered charnamrit, we consume it." "It happened due to the lack of my knowledge," he added.
Meanwhile, the tribal cell of the party informed people that it is customary to offer liquor to the earth in most celebrations and festivities. "This is what panchamrit and charnamrit are to non-tribals and is an important part of our rituals," Motilal was quoted as saying in reports.
Gujarat - a dry state
Despite Gujarat being a dry state with a liquor ban policy, tribals there use alcohol to mark their events. Commenting on this, Motilal expressed that the community holds faith in the law and continues to tell tribals to refrain from consuming alcohol while not taking part in customary events where the liquor is not drunk but offered to earth.
