'Totka' to ward off evil raises eyebrows at Congress meet

The sight of a lemon and green chillies that were strung together and hanging at the Congress' convention surprised the guests and the media persons.

The green chillies and lemon were hanging at the top of the conclave. It is a common practice among the superstitious masses, to hang the 'nimbu-mirchi totka' to ward off evil eye.

The party's national convention was held at New Delhi on Sunday. Surprisingly, the 'totka' was hanging above the portraits of former leaders like Jawharlal Nehru, Abdul Kalam Azad and Indira Gandhi.

Asserting that it was against the spirit of the constitution that sought to develop rational thinking and shun superstitions, some journalists asked the Congress leaders whether the party feared had become superstitious or was fearing bad omen ahead of the elections.

But most of the party functionaries evaded the questions. The UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul addressed the convention. However, the 'totka' (charm) remained a talking point during the gathering.

TIH Bureau