The Jersey cow may seem like a cute symbol of the British countryside, but according to Hindu nationalists in India it is a demonic creature and the cause of juvenile crime.
The claim was made by a leading figure in the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the influential Hindu nationalist group which counts Narendra Modi, the prime minister, among its members. Mr Modi was educated by the group as a child and entered politics with its support.
The group has successfully lobbied for the slaughter of cows for beef to be banned in some parts of India because it offends higher caste Hindus who worship them as a source of life.
It also promotes the use of cow dung as antiseptic flooring, bovine biogas as fuel, and its urine as a ‘cola’ health drink.
Now it has launched a campaign to persuade India’s middle class gated communities to keep their own cow herds.According to the RSS’s cow protection section, the move would improve the condition of the animals, which often roam the streets and eat plastic waste, and also provide milk and medicines. It would also teach children the importance of the animal in sustaining life.
They must, however, be “virtuous” Indian breeds and not Jersey cows if they do not want their children to turn to crime, the group’s leader Shankar Lal said.
Read more of it here , Feature image courtesy occupyforanimals
