'If a statue can enter, why not a living cow?': Shankaracharya criticises Parliament inauguration; seeks slaughter ban
"If a statue of a cow can enter Parliament, why can't a living cow be taken inside?" he told reporters on Sunday.
He pointed out that the Sengol held by Prime Minister Narendra Modi while entering the new Parliament building had a cow engraved on it.
"A real cow should have also been taken into the building to bestow blessings. If there is a delay, we will take cows from all over the country and bring them to Parliament," he said, adding that this would ensure the Prime Minister and the building receive blessings from a living cow. The Sengol is now installed in the Lok Sabha.
The seer also urged the Maharashtra government to frame a protocol for cow felicitation. "The state has not yet declared how to honour the cow. It should finalise a protocol so that people can follow it, and also fix penalties for its violation," he said.
He further demanded that each assembly constituency in India have a "Ramadham" — a cow shelter with 100 cows. "A total of 4,123 Ramadhams will be built across the country.
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The shelters will focus on daily cow service, protection, and promoting indigenous breeds," he said. Those following the protocol while caring for cows would be financially rewarded. "A person taking care of 100 cows will receive Rs 2 lakh per month," he added.
The Shankaracharya said the Dharma Sansad has passed a congratulatory resolution supporting Hoshangabad MP Darshan Singh Chowdhary's demand to declare the cow as Rashtramata (Mother of the Nation).
He urged voters to back only those candidates who protect cows and work towards legislation in their favour.
"The present regime has not yet satisfied us. Cow slaughter must be completely stopped in India," he said.
On the language debate, he remarked, "Hindi was first recognised for administrative use. The Marathi-speaking state was formed in 1960, and Marathi was recognised later. Hindi represents several dialects — the same applies to Marathi, which has borrowed from its dialects."
The seer said violence of any kind should be treated as a criminal offence and called for justice in the Malegaon blast case, stating that the real culprits must be punished.
"It is ridiculous that the government is celebrating Amrit Kaal while cows who provide us with milk are being slaughtered. Those in government cannot be called our brothers unless they stand in support of cows," he added.
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