Shun beef, lynching incidents will stop: RSS, BJP leaders

tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 24

Amid the growing outrage and changing narrative around the killing of Akbar Khan, which is now a big political issue, senior RSS and BJP leaders have condemned the “lynching” but added that such incidents would cease if people stopped eating beef and the cow was declared “rashtra mata” — mother of the nation.

RSS leader Indresh Kumar said cow slaughter was banned across religions like Islam and Christianity. So while mob lynching was condemnable, cow-slaughter was also a sin across religions.

“Jesus was born in a cowshed that is why they call it the ‘Holy Cow’. Cow slaughter is banned in Mecca and Medina. We should make it a resolution to rid humanity of this sin. If humanity gets rid of this sin, society would get rid of this problem (mob lynching),” senior Sangh leader was quoted as saying.

He was supported by senior BJP leader and union minister Giriraj Singh, who called Kumar a “mature” man who said what he had after “proper thought”. Former BJP MP and Hindutva poster boy Vinay Katiyar also termed the Alwar incident highly condemnable but counseled people from the Muslim community to refrain from touching cows and provoking Hindus.

“There are a lot of Muslims who are sheltering cows but are also killing them. Cow meat is also being consumed by them,” he said.

Meanwhile, BJP MLA from Goshamahal in Hyderabad T Raja Singh Lodh also declared he did not want any “khoon-kharaba”—bloodshed—on the issue but if it has to stop cow should be declared “mother of the nation”. The statements follow the alleged lynching of Rakbar in Alwar, one more shocking addition to the increasing cases of such killings by the mob. While the Centre has formed a group of ministers to deal with the issue, the BJP is treading the politically sensitive issue cautiously.

BJP leaders also claim that “gau rakshaks” can never be “killers” and cannot be blamed for the killing in the area “notorious for cases of cattle theft”. However, as per activists, deliberate attempts were being made to let off “gau rakshaks” in Akbar’s case.