Cow dung is the abode of goddess Lakshmi, says BJP

Politics isn't all about the lokpal debate or cold caste calculations in the coming polls in five states. The BJP has showed the way by breaking the monotony and waxing eloquent on the benefits of cow dung and urine. Vikas Pathak reports.

Politics isn't all about the lokpal debate or cold caste calculations in the coming polls in five states. The BJP has showed the way by breaking the monotony and waxing eloquent on the benefits of cow dung and urine.

“Cow dung is the abode of goddess Lakshmi,” said the party's central cow development cell on Friday.And this was not all.

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“The urine of the cow is the abode of the Ganges,” the release went on. “Cow dung is a purifier of impurities…. The cow and cow dung are lifelines of the nation. If the cow survives, the nation will survive. That is why we refer to the cow as 'mother cow' and 'mother of the whole world'.”

The release admonished the media for calling the Madhya Pradesh government's recent cow initiatives as “superstition”, saying this had deeply hurt the sensibilities of millions of people, insulted Indian culture and panchgavya (the cow's five products, including dung and urine), and ignored the cow's contribution to the agriculture and economy. MP, which recently passed a law against cow slaughter, also conducted a workshop on the benefits of the cow, earlier this week.

The BJP's release — signed by cow development cell convener Radheshyam Gupta — lists the scientific benefits of the cow. It

provides milk, is used in agriculture, provides manure, is the base of cottage industry and good health, provides jobs, keeps the environment clean, contributes to rural development and can help generate electricity.

The RSS has also been listed the benefits of the cow, conducting a Vishwa Mangal Gau Gram Yatra in 2009 and even using gods' idols made of cow urine, dung, milk, ghee and curd during festivals.

Clearly, at least here the BJP's umbilical cord with Hindutva hasn't snapped.