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Yogi Adityanath visits Mathura, lays stress on preserving Indian cow breeds
Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath also refers to Mathura’s Jawahar Bagh, infamous for violence that claimed 29 lives in 2016, and says it is now being used to promote culture
Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday laid stress on the preservation of Indian cow breeds and promotion of milk-based products to boost farmers’ income. He also advocated “gram swarajya (rural self-reliance)” and recommended the establishment of dairy committees in villages.
The chief minister was speaking at a function in Mathura where he dedicated the Shri Krishna Balarama temple at the Bhakti Vedanta Gurukul and international school campus run by ISKCON (International Society of Krishna Consciousness). He also inaugurated a dairy plant run by Bhakti Vedanta Gurukul.
“In order to protect the Indian breeds of cows, improved breeds must be developed first. The Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Veterinary Science University is located here and, thanks to it, good work in this field has started,” Yogi Adityanath said.
The chief minister had arrived in Mathura on Tuesday evening as he was expected to attend the “Braj Kartik Raas Mahotsav”, a spiritual dance drama to be staged by BJP MP and actor Hema Malini at Jawahar Bagh in Mathura. The programme was deferred to Wednesday night due to unexpected rain on Tuesday evening. He had an overnight stay in Mathura.
The chief minister said that everyone was aware of the context in which Jawahar Bagh came into prominence seven years ago but it was now utilised to promote Braj culture.
“If good people come, good work will be done,” Yogi Adityanath said.
Twenty-nine people, including two police officers, were killed in violence at Mathura’s Jawahar Bagh on June 2, 2016 during a police action to evict squatters.
The chief minister also said a processing facility for cow-based products (gau prasanskaran kendra) should be established in each tehsil.
“The government has a number of programmes in place to safeguard cows. More than nine lakh cows are being cared for by the government in the state. The government is making constant efforts to protect Indian cows,” he said.
Yogi Adityanath, while paying tribute to ISKCON founder Swami Prabhupada Maharaj said that he was a ‘sanyasi’ and founded ISKCON with the Hare Krishna Movement.
“Along with the construction of 108 temples, he propagated the ‘leela’ and devotion of Shrimad Bhagwat and Lord Shri Krishna all over the world. Today, his followers are associated with full energy in this field,” Yogi Adityanath said.
Earlier in the morning, the chief minister had “darshan” of Thakur Keshav Dev Maharaj in the Yogmaya temple. He performed the ‘aarti’ at Bhagwat Bhawan.
The Uttar Pradesh Braj Teerth Vikas Parishad’s Leela Manch, which is being built at Shri Krishna Janmasthan, was inspected by the chief minister. He then went to the Veterinary University and planted saplings on the campus there.
The chief minister held a meeting with the district’s top officials at the university’s guest house to review the development projects and the law and order situation.
He gave instructions to finish projects in the Braj region on time while ensuring quality.
