India: Togadia fires salvo at PM on 'gau raksha', demands cow slaughter ban

The Times of India

Togadia fires salvo at PM on 'gau raksha', demands cow slaughter ban
Mohua Chatterjee | TNN | Aug 13, 2016, 10.42 PM IST

Highlights

VHP veteran Pravin Togadia challenged Modi to provide the basis of the data used to dub "gau rakshaks" antisocials.
He also demanded a complete ban on cow slaughter and beef exports.
He accused the government of giving clean chit to butchers.

NEW DELHI: The government's battle against so called "Gau Rakshaks" or cow protectors who have been fomenting trouble at various places in the country escalated on Saturday as RSS-affiliated Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) raised the pitch against Prime Minister Narendra Modi for "speaking out against those who are protecting cows, disappointing them gravely and insulting them." RSS also gave the PM an ultimatum to "ban cow slaughter across the country and beef export."

VHP leader Pravin Togadia, a known Modi baiter, slammed the Modi government for "not keeping its promise of banning cow slaughter throughout the country" and instead coming down harshly on Gau Rakshaks and "hurting the sentiment of lakhs of Hindus."+

He said that even under the British rule cow protectors and the larger Hindu society never faced such insult and humiliation. The VHP leader vowed to stand by all gau rakshaks and their families, if the government cracks down on them.

"We expected an advisory to stop cow slaughter, but Prime Minister you have broken the hearts... it is better to commit suicide now since we cannot go out to protect cows," Togadia said, his voice choking with emotion as he addressed TV cameras.

Togadia demanded that the government should immediately bring a legislation to stop cow slaughter in the country,+ as it is still allowed in a few states. He said "the Prime Minister should withdraw his speech against cow protectors and also withdraw the advisory sent out by the home ministry to states to take strict action against those who create trouble in the name of cow protection."

Though he refused to go into what would follow if the government did not withdraw its stand against gau rakshkas, he hinted at a movement backed by "sants" to resist it. "The Prime Minister is a childhood friend... I am confident he will pay heed to what I am saying," Togadia said, when asked whether he felt the government will listen to the VHP demands.

Togadia reminded Modi that, "these Gau Rakshaks were among those who put their lives on the line and worked hard to make you (Modi) Prime Minister and today you are disappointing and insulting them." He accused "the government of giving clean chit to butchers and clamping down on Hindu cow protectors," and pointed out that the Modi government has promised to ban beef export but "it has actually gone up by 44 % in the last two years."

Asked whether he had RSS' support in demanding a withdrawal of PM Modi stand on Gau rakshaks+ , as the RSS chief has backed the PM, he said, "Pravin Togadia has spoken in a responsible way."

Togadia said, "linking atrocities on dalits (which should never happen), to gau rakshaks is a conspiracy to divide Hindu society," though he refused to reply to repeated questions on who he thought was behind it.

FULL TEXT AT: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Togadia-fires-salvo-at-PM-on-gau-raksha-demands-cow-slaughter-ban/articleshow/53689741.cms