VHP bats for 'gau rakshaks', says Centre should ask states not to harass people engaged in cow protection

New Delhi: Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) has once again openly come out in support of 'gau rakshaks'. 

VHP on Wednesday said the Centre should ask states not to harrass authorised people and agencies engaged in cow protection.

VHP's international president Praveen Togadia also lauded the government for issuing an advisory to states for ensuring a complete ban on beef exports.

Also, Togadia expressed confidence that the "gau-bhakts" in the Central government and BJP have taken a pledge for cow protection.

"VHP welcomes the government of India's action to ensure a complete ban on beef exports. We are confident that there are many 'gau-bhakts' in the Central government and BJP who have taken a pledge for cow protection. The meaningful steps taken by the BJP-ruled states in this direction are also laudable.

"We suggest that the Union Home Ministry's advisory to state administrations should also clarify that authorised people and entities working for the important task of cow protection should not be harassed. We are confident that the Centre will take the work of saints and organisations towards cow protection to newer heights," Togadia said in a statement.

He had earlier taken strong exception to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's remarks against cow vigilantes, saying by dubbing them as "anti-social" he had insulted them and demanded that the government talk to them.

Togadia said that Modi's directive to states to create dossiers of cow vigilantes amounts to "racial profiling" of Hindus as they are the ones who give their lives for protecting the animal.

Expressing "utmost dissatisfaction and agony" over Prime Minister's remarks, he also questioned as to why the "head of the country" has given a clean chit to "cow butchers" and victimised cow protectors, who have been his avid supporters and helped him getting elected.

Rather than appreciating efforts of Hindus to save cows and initiating a sincere dialogue with "these simple, non-fancy gau-rakshaks", Modi had termed 80 per cent of them as "anti-social", he said.

That was an "insult not only of Mother cow but also of Hindus and all those who gave their lives for protecting cows," he told reporters.

In a strong rebuke to cow vigilantes, some of whom flogged Dalits in his home state Gujarat, Modi had this month said that he felt enraged at such "anti-social elements" who indulged in crimes by the night and masqueraded as cow protectors during the day.