MATHURA: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday escalated the debate over cow protection by suggesting that those arrayed against the cause had been reflexively opposing Indian culture as retrograde.

“In the life of rural India, animal husbandry is very valuable. Can a family in a village survive without it? But I don't know why some people get electric shock the moment they hear the word ‘Om’. They also get electric shock when they hear the word ‘cow’. They feel as if the country has been dragged back to the 16th or 17th century,” he said.

Modi, who was speaking at a function here to launch National Animal Disease Control Programme (NADCP), said environment and livestock had always been at the core of the country’s economic thought and philosophy, even as his remarks attracted criticism of Congress spokesperson Shama Mohammad and AIMIM’s Asaduddin Owaisi .

The Prime Minister’s clubbing the opposition to cow protection with those who frown on the use of ‘Om’, an integral part of Hindu culture, marks an important turn in the old political and ideological feud over “cow protection” that was re-ignited after BJP’s victory in 2014 with instances of “lynching” by alleged cow vigilantes.

While the Prime Minister had earlier condemned violence by self-styled “gau rakshaks”, his remarks on Wednesday would suggest that he views criticism of cow protection itself as motivated and reflective of what Sangh Parivar sees as ‘liberal-left disdain’ for Hindu culture and faith.

Coming after the provision of funds for Kamdhenu Aaayog in the interim budget, the PM’s public pitch represents yet another nudge for mainstreaming of “gau raksha” and furthering the Sangh Parivar’s ideological goals.

To buttress his point, Modi cited the example of Rwanda in Africa, where a strong network has been established to earn livelihood through cows. “I had gone there last year and saw a unique programme. Their government gives cows to villages with the condition that the first female calf born will be given to those who do not have a cow,” he said.

The Centre will spend Rs 12,652 crore to vaccinate over 600 million animals in a programme stretching up to 2030, he said.

Inaugurating Pashu Arogya Mela, where he also launched 'Swachata Hi Sewa' campaign, Modi said the country must get rid of single-use plastics by October 2, the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. “We should all try that by the 2nd of October this year, our homes, offices, work places should be free from single-use-plastic,” he said. "This would be a real tribute to Mahatma Gandhi ," he added.

“I appeal to all the self-help groups (SHGs), civil societies, social organisations, women and youth organisations, every college, school, government and non-government institutes, and each individual to join this campaign against single-use plastics,” the PM said, adding that there was a dire need for tackling this menace causing irreparable harm to the environment.

He said plastic waste would be recycled and in case it can't be reprocessed, it will be used in cement factories and for road construction. He appealed to people to carry own bags for shopping to ensure that single-use plastic goes out of common use. He suggested that government offices should now have the arrangement of pottery, metal utensils instead of plastic.

“We should look for cheaper and easier alternatives to polythene bags. So many solutions can be found through our start-ups,” Modi said.

He also met a group of nine women, sitting with them at the site with piles of various kind of plastics and wearing masks and gloves. They responded to the PM's questions about segregation of plastics and way of their disposal.

Talking to TOI, one of the women, Sameena, 55, said she felt lucky that the PM sat and talked to her, when many other people wanted to speak to him. She told TOI that she informed the PM that she had been doing this work for the past many years.

“We sort out 33 items including plastic boxes, bottles, caps, milk poly pack, water polythene and then pack it separately, which are recycled later,” said Sameena.

Earlier, greeting Mathura residents with “Radhe Radhe”, Modi said this was his first visit to the town after BJP’s mammoth win in the recent Lok Sabha polls.



In Video: Mathura: PM Narendra Modi launches animal welfare scheme