Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat waded into the ongoing debate over cow slaughter and beef.

"We want a law banning cow slaughter across the country," Bhagwat was reported as saying by news agency PTI.

"Any violence in the name of cow slaughter defames the cause, law must be obeyed," he further added.

The issue of cow slaughter has been at the forefront of national politics off late, especially since the the Bharatiya Janata Party's victory in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly election.

Days after taking office, Chief Minster Yogi Adityanath, in accordance with the BJP manifesto, directed the Uttar Pradesh government machinery to take strict action against illegal cow slaughter in the state.

Gujarat, also a BJP-ruled state, recently passed an amendment to strengthen the state's ban on cow slaughter. The new law makes cow slaughter punishable by life in prison and carrying beef punishable by jail term of 7 to 10 years.

At the same time, there have been at least two instances of BJP leader taking a less hardline stance on beef.

Nagaland BJP chief Visasolie Lhoungu was reported to have said that a ban on cow slaughter like the one in Uttar Pradesh wouldn't take effect in the northeastern state if the BJP came to power there.

N Sreeprakash, the BJP candidate for the Malappuram by-poll, promised voters he would ensure supply of good-quality beef if voted to power.

ALWAR KILLING

Meanwhile, a dairy farm owner was lynched to death last week in Rajasthan over false allegations that he was illegally transporting cows.

Pehlu Khan, the 55-year-old man who was murdered, was with a group of men from Haryana who had come to Rajasthan to buy milch cattle.

Self-proclaimed gau rakshaks however stopped them on a highway in Alwar and thrashed them. Khan later died due to his injuries at a local hospital.

BHAGWAT FOR PRESIDENT?

Interestingly, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat's comments come as his name gets floated for the next president of India.

The Shiv Sena raised the pitch for Bhagwat as president with party MP Sanjay Raut saying, "Even Sena President Uddhav Thackeray is of the opinion that for making India a Hindu Rashtra, Bhagwat should be made the President."

Congress leader Jaffer Sharief followed the Shiv Sena's lead , writing to Prime Minister Narendra Modi that nobody should find fault with the idea of Mohan Bhagwat as president.

The BJP, with its recent wins in state elections, is in a good position to be able to influence the final decision over the next president of India.

Pranab Mukherjee is due to finish his term this year and the presidential election is expected to be held in July.

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