Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat has kicked up a controversy by saying that the cow exhales oxygen, a claim rubbished by livestock and animal husbandry experts.

A video had gone viral on Thursday showing Rawat extolling the curative powers of the cow at a function.

He is also heard in the video as saying that massaging the cow can cure one of breathing problems while living in close proximity with the animal can cure one of tuberculosis.

He also extols the medicinal properties of cow milk and urine in the video.

The chief minister's cow eulogy comes after Pradesh BJP president and Nainital MP Ajay Bhatt recently said pregnant women can avoid cesarian deliveries if they drink water of Garud Ganga, a river in Bageshwar district.

An official at the CMO defended the chief minister, saying he was only speaking something which is a common belief in the hills of Uttarakhand.

"While the medicinal values of cow milk and urine are well known, people in the hills also believe that the cow gives them oxygen, " he said requesting anonymity.

However, experts here ruled out the possibility of the cow exhaling oxygen.

"The cow, like every other living being, exhales carbon dioxide which is a universally known fact," joint director of a cow conservation project in Dehradun district said requesting anonymity.