Mohan Bhagwat: Ram Temple-like public awareness needed to end cow slaughter: Mohan Bhagwat | India News
Public awareness like Ram temple needed to stop cow slaughter: Mohan Bhagwat
Mathura: RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat Tuesday said public awareness can help stop cow slaughter in India and sought a Ram temple-style boost for the cause.“Dedicate society to cows, and cow slaughter will stop immediately. People need to be made aware; The rest will follow,” Bhagwat said.He acknowledged the hurdles of keeping cows in cities and advised people to support ‘gaushalas’ (cow shelters) instead.The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief was addressing the 452nd birth anniversary of Maluk Das Ji Maharaj at Maluk Peeth in Vrindavan.“If there is Jan Bhavana (public opinion), the system has to accept it,” he said.Bhagwat referred to the landmark judgment of the Supreme Court that paved the way for the construction of the Ram Janmabhoomi temple in Ayodhya.“The Ram temple did not come up between 2014 and 2019. It came up after 2019. Why? The Supreme Court, which said it had other very important matters, gave a unanimous verdict,” he said.Bhagwat said the Supreme Court gave the verdict because of “feelings” across the country. “Similarly, the same feeling should be visible for cows. You are trying, we are also trying.” The decades-long struggle for the Ram temple in Ayodhya ended in 2019 with a Supreme Court verdict.A ‘Bhumi Pujan’ ceremony was held at the temple construction site in August 2020 in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, followed by a ‘Pran Pratishta’ ceremony in January 2024.According to a statement issued after the event by the organizers, Bhagwat said he had no doubt that India would become a world leader.“India, inspired by its saints and its spiritual values, will give a new direction to the world,” Bhagwat said.On the unrest in West Asia, the RSS chief said it was time for “India to emerge as a ‘world guru’ and create a new, happy and beautiful world”. Bhagwat emphasized the need for enlightenment for everyone and urged people to observe not only the words of saints but also their innermost feelings.He said that for 452 years Maluk Peeth has kept alive the tradition of Saint Maluk Das. Everyone should learn philosophy of life from this example.He said, “There can be (no) religion without truth and compassion. All should live in harmony. Compassion enters one’s life when the suffering of others seems like one’s own suffering.”In response to Mahanta Rajendra Das Maharaj’s demand for a total ban on cow slaughter, Bhagwat said that convert the society to devotees of the cow, and cow slaughter itself would cease.“Empowerment… it will be a bold step. Cow products will be taken to every single person. Sangh will work in this direction,” he added.
