Swamy feeds a cow outside the Bombay Stock Exchange on Sunday. (Photo by Ganesh Shirsekar) Swamy feeds a cow outside the Bombay Stock Exchange on Sunday. (Photo by Ganesh Shirsekar)

BJP leader Subramanian Swamy on Sunday called for a cess to be imposed for funding gaushalas across the country. “In 1962 when China attacked India, an appeal was made to contribute to the defence fund. That is the mood of the country now. If we ask to pay Re 1 on petrol for gaushalas, the country will be flooded with money.” Swamy was speaking at a national conference for cow protection organised by the Virat Hindustan Sangam at the Bombay Stock Exchange on Dalal Street on Sunday. He added, “Cow production cess will be applied to all, Hindus and Muslims, since we tax everybody equally.”

Three brown cows stood at the entrance of the country’s premier stock exchange as gaurakshaks, businessmen, spiritual leaders, politicians, senior citizens and small-time cow shelter owners attended the conference. “Gaurakshaks are performing a great service. We must give them a certification. A national cadre called Gaurakshaks of Hindustan must be made,” said the BJP leader.

Minister of State for Home Affairs Hansraj Ahir, among the dignitaries at the conference, said it is difficult for farmers to afford old cows which stop milking. “I proposed to use 7 crore hectare of forest land for cow sanctuary. If we want to protect cows, a demand should be made to the government. People should ask the government to create a cow sanctuary just like a tiger sanctuary,” said Ahir, adding that gaushalas are overflowing and a farmer will be forced to sell his cow if no other provision is made to safeguard them. “We have raised enough awareness about cow slaughter. Now we should generate forest grass as fodder for cows,” added Ahir.

Several speakers gave suggestions about how to protect cows. Hrishikesh Mafatlal, vice chairman of Arvind Mafatlal Group, said that companies must conduct research on cow products and make efforts for cow safety under their corporate social responsibility. Swami Arihant, founder of Urjaa World Foundation, proposed that compulsory chapters be introduced in school curricula on cow protection. “We don’t need andolans, we need education. Our children have started going to convent schools and western culture is prevailing. We need to introduce chapters on cow and its protection,” he said.

From claims that cows can cure advanced cancer, epilepsy and Parkinson’s disease, to how best to tap the export market for milk and on making cow the national animal, a variety of topics about cows were discussed at the conference. “Cow is the national animal in Nepal and its slaughter and marketing is banned. No other animal has received this stature in our scriptures,” said Deep Upadhyay, Nepal’s Ambassador to India who attended the event.

Swamy said that his government has two more years and he is hopeful that the private bill he introduced in Rajya Sabha to give death penalty to cow slaughterers will come through.

“The identity of India shall remain Hindu. I say this is Hindustan to keep a door open for non-Hindus who are ready to accept their identity… that their ancestors were all Hindus,” Swamy said. He said that fundamental rights have a reasonable restriction. “There is no such thing as absolute fundamental right. The right to eat beef is subject to ‘reasonable restrictions’ in the Constitution. Soon, a national ban will be announced on cow slaughter and consumption.”

Mobile App for cow farmers

* Adding technology to cow protection activism, a mobile app called Cow Connect will show the nearest gaushala, help a farmer sell his cow products directly online, and offer health services using cow urine, cow dung and cow ghee.

* Gaurakshaks can register themselves on the app and form a network to share information on transport or slaughter of cow. NGOs, farmers, gaushala owners and gaurakshaks can all coordinate if one member gets information in one district about suspicious cow movement.

* “We plan to make this an e-commerce portal eventually. Farmers can upload their products and they do not need to worry about sale and constant income,” said Govind Das, attached with Virat Hindustan Sangam.

* The app has several categories — Go Krishi, Go Vigyan Anusandhan, Go Shala, Go Rakshak — to show the latest research on cow and its products, cow milk, the nearest gaushalas and the number of cows sheltered there and on volunteers working to protect cows.

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