Modi to vigilantes: No killing in cow’s name
SABARMATI VISIT PM breaks silence, says lynchings unacceptable in Mahatma’s country
AHMEDABAD: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday condemned a rise in deadly mob attacks on cattle traders, beef eaters and dairy farmers, saying killing people in the name of protecting cows is unacceptable.
Modi’s remarks come on a day when a man in Jharkhand was allegedly beaten to death and his vehicle set on fire as he was believed to be carrying beef.
Delivering a speech to mark the centenary of the Sabarmati ashram in Ahmedabad and the 150th birth anniversary of Shrimad Rajchandraji, a guru to Mahatma Gandhi, the Prime Minister said unleashing violence against others went against the ideals of the Father of the Nation.
“Killing people in the name of ‘gau bhakti’ is not acceptable. This is not something Mahatma Gandhi would approve,” Modi said. “Let’s all work together. Let’s create the India of Mahatma Gandhi’s dreams. Let’s create an India our freedom fighters would be proud of,” said the PM. “No person in this nation has the right to take the law in his or her own hands... Violence never has and never will solve any problem. As a society, there is no place for violence.”
The Prime Minister’s comments came a day after protests in several cities against the recent violence targeting Dalits and minorities.
Thousands of people, carrying placards reading “Not in my name”, sang songs and lit candles in several cities, including New Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and London.