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Updated: Jul 26, 2019 13:35 IST

Uttarakhand chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat has kicked up a row by claiming that cow is the only animal which inhales and exhales oxygen, and has asserted breathing problems can be cured by massaging it.

A video went viral on Thursday showing Rawat extolling the medicinal properties of cow milk and urine at a function here.

In the video, he said cows not only inhale oxygen but also exhale it.

The chief minister also said that massaging a cow can cure one of breathing problems, while living in close proximity with the animal can cure one of tuberculosis.

Also read: Rescued from smugglers, 159 cows die of malnutrition in Tripura cattle shelter

The chief minister’s cow eulogy comes after Pradesh BJP president and Nainital MP Ajay Bhatt recently said that 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’s remarks saying that he was only stating 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.

Also read: UP to act tough against lynchings, including those by cow vigilantes

(This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.)