Don’t defame gau rakshaks, Prachi appeals to PM Modi
Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Sadhvi Prachi on Friday appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi not to defame gau rakshaks (cow vigilantes).
She claimed there were many activists who honestly dedicated their lives to the protection of the animal which is considered holy by the Hindus.
She, however, admitted that action should be taken against offenders.
Last month, the PM had said that he felt “immense anger” at anti-social elements donning the garb of gau rakshaks to conceal their criminal activities.
“With folded hands, I have asked Prime Minister Modi not to defame gau rakshaks. I have told him that it was because of the gau rakshaks that he had become the PM,” she said addressing schoolchildren at the Gorakhnath temple during a seminar on cow protection.
The programme was organised on the third day of the ongoing week long-tribute to Mahant Digvijay Nath and Mahant Avaidyanath, the late priests of the temple.
“India has emerged as the world’s biggest mandi (market) for cow meat with tonnes of meat being exported country every year. When we raise our voice over the issue, our concern is termed as rebellious. This is unfortunate,” the VHP leader added.
She claimed people sold their old cows to slaughter houses for as little as Rs 500 .
She objected to sacrifice of animals on the occasion of Bakrid (Eid-ul-Azha), a Muslim festival.
“Television pictures showed streets flooded with animal blood but nobody dared to object to it,” she added.
Another VHP leader Acharya Dharmendra, who heads the Jaipur-based Panchkhand Peeth, said the cow was not a mere animal, but the spirit of Hinduism.
He claimed that 33 crore Hindu deities resided in the the body of a cow.
He accused Mahatma Gandhi of not letting a strong anti-cow slaughter legislation come into force after Independence.
“Gandhi was of the view that any action on cow slaughter would be an atrocity on Muslims. He left the question of safety of cows on Muslims,” he said.