'Declare cow as mother of nation', demands cow vigilante outfit

New Delhi, Nov 20 (PTI) A cow vigilante outfit on Monday held a rally at the Ramlila Maidan here demanding cow be declared as the 'mother of the nation' and sought an immediate ban on its slaughter.

On the occasion of Gopashtami, Shankracharya Swami Avimukteshvaranand Saraswati said that slaughtering a cow is same as assassinating 33 crore Hindu deities.

Bharatiya Gau Kranti Manch under the banner of 'Gau Mata Rashtrmata Pratishtha Andolan' held a protest where it demanded that the Centre should declare cows as the 'mother of the nation' and a separate ministry be formed for the welfare of cows, said Avimukteshvaranand Saraswati.

'The country's saints and seers have been demanding for several years that cows be declared as Rashtra Mata', said Gopal Mani Maharaj, the founder of Bhartiya Gau Kranti Manch.

Bhagwat Katha narrator Devkinandan Thakur said there are several cow vigilantes in India who risk their lives to catch cow smugglers, but the police file FIRs against them, which is totally wrong.

'Strict law and stringent action against cow smugglers must be introduced,' Thakur said. PTI BM RPA