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Cow protection business angers me, says PM Modi
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday lashed out at self–styled cow protectors, saying people who have set up shop in the name of ‘gau raksha’ make
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday lashed out at self–styled cow protectors, saying people who have set up shop in the name of ‘gau raksha’ make him very angry.
Modi’s remarks at a townhall-style event in New Delhi are his first on a raging controversy over attacks against Muslims and Dalits on suspicion of slaughtering cows or smuggling beef — banned in several Indian states. Cows are revered animals for Hindus.
“People who have set up shop in the name of gauraksha (cow protection) make me angry,” Modi said in his interaction with citizens to mark two years of MyGov, a major e-governance initiative by his government.
“I have seen some people involved in anti-social activities at night and donning the garb of cow protectors in the morning. The states should prepare dossiers of such cow protectors...70-80% will be those who indulge in anti-social activities and try to hide their sins by pretending to be cow protectors,” Modi said.
Few hours after the event, the Prime Minister tweeted on the issue: “The sacred practice of cow worship & the compassion of Gau Seva can’t be misused by some miscreants posing as Gau Rakshaks.”
“There is absolutely no need for anyone to take the law in his or her hands & disturb the spirit of harmony & togetherness.”
Opposition parties had criticised Modi for not speaking out against such incidents and said his silence was encouraging fringe groups to take the law into their own hands.
In September last year, a 55-year-old Muslim man was lynched and his son seriously injured by a mob over allegations of cow slaughter at Bisada village in Uttar Pradesh’s Dadri. The incident had sparked a nationwide debate on religious intolerance under the BJP regime.
The Congress said Modi’s comments lacked conviction.
“The PM is angry but when will these shops be closed? Need action not just words,” the party’s chief spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said.
More cows die from eating waste plastic dumped in garbage than are slaughtered, the Prime Minister said.
“People who want to do social service should first make cows stop eating plastics and waste,” Modi added.
Modi spoke on a range of issues including good governance. He said blaming the Prime Minister for everything maybe good for politics or television ratings but was harmful for fixing accountability.
T he Prime Minister’s rebuke came in the wake of four Dalit youths’ thrashing by cow protection vigilantes in Gujarat. A video of the incident that went viral on social media triggered widespread outrage and criticism and was even discussed in Parliament.
The incident in Una also triggered a wave of protests, cornering the ruling BJP in his home state. Muslims, who have been attacked by vigilantes in the past, joined Dalits in their protests in Gujarat.
Dalits form a sizeable chunk of the electorate in the poll-bound states of Uttar Pradesh and Punjab, where the BJP finds itself on the back foot after the string of attacks by vigilante groups.
Soon after Modi’s comments, Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan too said a “few people are indulging in anti social activities under garb of Gau Rakshaks (sic)”.
“Protection of cows is an integral part of our culture. A true gau rakshak will never resort to unlawful activities. This is the truth,” the BJP-leader posted on Twitter.
Two Muslim women were thrashed by cow protectors in Madhya Pradesh recently on the suspicion of transporting beef. The meat was later found to be that of buffalo.
