Bengaluru: With two months to go for Assembly elections, BJP's Cow Protection Cell organised a 'Cow Protection Ashtayama Yagna' in Bengaluru on Friday to create awareness on "the need to protect cattle population to strengthen rural economy."

The 24-hour-long ceremony, which is being held in south Bengaluru, will be attended by the state BJP's top-brass, such as chief BS Yeddyurappa and Bengaluru South MP Ananth Kumar.

The move to raise the issue of 'gaumata' as a campaign comes barely weeks after the BJP raised the other emotive issue - beef - at a rally addressed by the UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath, where he questioned Congress chief minister Siddaramaiah's Hindu credentials.

The yagna event will include chanting of the Akhanda Ramayana and a special dance performance on 'Sri Rama's Wedding' by a troupe that will come down from Janakpuri, the birth place of Sita, a press release from the BJP cell stated.

"We want to increase awareness because protecting the cow is important for the environment. The lakes of Bengaluru are badly polluted today because of illegal slaughter-houses which pollute them," Siddhartha Goenka, the convenor of the cell, told News18.

He said economic development is not possible without preserving the environment, and not protecting cattle was the main reason for polluted lakes.

The ruling Congress brushed aside the motive behind the yagna, saying this is another attempt to polarise voters.

"This is the difference between the BJP and the Congress. We talk about poverty, we talk about education and employment of youth, their life, their settlement. But unfortunately BJP in Karnataka has not been able to talk about these issues - even in their Parivarthana Yatra they did not come out with any agenda related to these issues," said State Congress president G Parameshwara.

"Now they have come out with a yagna. If you are going to instill some sentimental values and again use this as a political platform - that is what they are trying to do," he said.