Seer declares support for independent candidates for Bihar polls, who will pledge cow protection

Patna, Sep 12 (PTI) Shankaracharya Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati on Friday announced the launch of “Gau Raksha Sankalp Yatra” in Bihar and declared that he will support independent candidates in the coming assembly polls who will show a commitment to cow protection.

He was addressing a press conference here on the eve of the launch of his “Gau Raksha Sankalp Yatra” from Sitamarhi district scheduled on Saturday.

“We will identify independent candidates in all 243 seats who show commitment towards cow protection. They will have my blessings. We will ensure that at least one candidate is fielded in each constituency… who are dedicated to cow protection,” he said.

Noting that no political party has shown commitment to the cause so far, the seer said the names of those independent nominees will be declared when the process of filing of nomination papers is completed.

“Atrocities towards ‘Gau Mata are on the rise. We brought one party after another to power, but no move was made in this direction. Now, we will appeal to the voters directly to vote only for those candidates who consider cow slaughter a sin and work for their protection in sync with the broader sentiments of Hindus of this nation,” he said.

The Shankaracharya said now is the time to vote for cow protection.

“As a Dharmacharya, I consider my duty to reach out to each district headquarters in the state to awaken people on this issue, and tell them that if they do not discard the parties and candidates who, directly or indirectly, allow the propagation of cow slaughter, they, too, are becoming stakeholders in the sin,” he said.

The Shankaracharya said his aim is to prevent people from being part of that sin.

“From tomorrow onwards, I will begin the Yatra from Sitamarhi. We may have limited resources, but our principles are unwavering. Our principles are connected to our ancestors, to the Vedas and scriptures, to Indian culture, and to the emotions of our people,” he said.

The export of beef is increasing day by day in the country, even when the BJP-led NDA government is in power, the seer claimed.

“The central government must take proactive steps in this regard. When firms engaged in cow slaughter donate to political parties, one cannot expect much from them. We don’t have much expectation from politicians on this front,” he said.

“On one hand, Prime Minister Narendra Modi says his party is for cow protection, and on the other, the export of beef is increasing in the country. It's very shocking and disturbing”, the Shankaracharya of the Jyotish Peeth claimed.

“We have decided to organise all Hindus for checking cow slaughter in the country. We are meeting people who make leaders,” he said.

Commenting on the unrest in Nepal, the Shankaracharya claimed, “Cow slaughter is the reason behind unrest in Nepal. Earlier, it was banned when Nepal was a Hindu rashtra. When the Communist government came, it was declared a secular country and cow slaughter was allowed, to which the people objected.” Earlier in the day, the Shankaracharya unveiled the statue of the late Kishore Kunal, an IPS officer and founder of Mahavir Mandir, in the state capital. He lauded the contributions of Kishore Kunal to the promotion of Sanatan Dharma. PTI SKS NN