Shankaracharya Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati of Jyotishpeeth on Friday issued a stern warning to the Uttar Pradesh government and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath over cow protection.
He said the government had been given 40 days to reconsider its policies on cow protection. If the cow is not accorded the status of ‘State Mother’ and a complete ban is not imposed on the export of cattle within this period, he warned, the consequences would be serious.
Speaking to the media here, the Shankaracharya said, “A government that cannot protect cows has no right to call itself Hindu—especially a Yogi who claims to be the Mahant of the sacred seat of Guru Gorakhnath.”
Addressing Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, he said, “You asked us for our certificate, and we readily gave it, because truth is not afraid of proof. Now it is time for you to provide proof of your ‘Hindu’ identity. Sanatani society now demands evidence of your being a Hindu. Being a Hindu is not limited to speeches or saffron robes; its real test lies in service to the cow and the protection of Dharma.”
The Shankaracharya laid down two clear conditions: the cow should be given official status as ‘State Mother’, as the Maharashtra government has done for indigenous cows and as Nepal has accorded the cow the status of a national animal; and a government order should be issued imposing a complete ban on the export of cattle.
He warned, “If these demands are not met within 40 days, a congregation of saints from across the country will be held on the sacred land of Lucknow on March 10 and 11. At that gathering, the government will be declared ‘fake Hindu’ and ‘pseudo-Hindu’. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will also be declared ‘Kalnemi’.”
The Shankaracharya further said that in independent India, demanding cow protection and a ban on cow slaughter had become the biggest crime. Whenever the issue was raised, he alleged, governments had brutally suppressed it. He claimed that attempts were being made to tarnish the image of those raising the issue and alleged that Yogi Adityanath was leading such efforts through his close associates.
He said, “Uttarakhand proposed the concept of ‘Rashtramata’ (Mother of the Nation) and Maharashtra created ‘Rajyamata’ (Mother of the State). Then why has Uttar Pradesh—the land of Lord Ram and Lord Krishna—become a centre for meat export? This is not merely a fight for power, but a question of protecting the soul of Sanatan Dharma.”