India largest exporter of cowmeat in the world: Swaroopanand Saraswati

Shankaracharya Swami Swaroopanand Saraswati, head of Dwarka-Sharda Peeth, claimed on Friday that India is the largest exporter of cowmeat in the world and said it is unfortunate that the government of a country which worships cow is busy earning foreign exchange by selling its meat.

"Despite the fact that cow slaughter is banned in many states, India stands first in the world today in selling cowmeat. It is unfortunate that the government of a country which worships the cow as its mother is busy earning foreign exchange by selling cowmeat," he said.

Alleging that land fit to serve as pastures for the cow are being sold to builders and industrialists, Swaroopanand criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for insulting cow protectors by calling them fake and equating them with hooligans. "An elected government must take care of the interests of the country's people. But the present government is too busy making money," he said.

Noting that there will be no place for the cow in the proposed smart cities, Swaroopanand said there can be no justification for cities devoid of cows in this country. "Some people say Hinduism is a way of life but they should understand that the Hindu is an individual and Hinduism is his religion."

Addressing a religious gathering at Gautam Farmhouse in Haridwar to mark the ongoing Divya Chaturmasya Mahotsav, Swaroopanand also spoke against construction of dams in rivers to generate hydro-electricity for commercial purposes saying building dams was blocking the flow of the rivers and polluting their waters.

"We are also in favour of development but the priority should always be providing people with pure unpolluted drinking water," he said.