For some, talk of cow may be crime, but for us it is sacred, our mother: PM Modi

In his speech, Modi paid tribute to former prime minister Chaudhary Charan Singh on his birth anniversary, which is commemorated as Kisan Divas
(Farmers’ Day). “Humare yahan gaay ki baat karna, govardhan ki baat karna..kuch logon ne aise haalat paida kar diye hain ki jaise koi gunaah kar rahe hain…Gaay kuch logon ke liye gunah ho sakti hai. Humare liye gaay maata hain, pujniya hain [Some people have created such a situation it seems that talking about cows is a crime. While it can be a crime for some, for us cow is mother and it is sacred and worshipped],” said Modi.

Taking a dig at rival parties, Modi said those making jokes about cows and buffaloes forget that the livelihood of eight crore families in the country depends on “pashudhan [livestock]”.

Modi claimed milk production in India had increased 45 per cent in the last six to seven years, and at present India’s share of global milk production was 22 per cent. Uttar Pradesh was the largest milk-producing state, he added. The prime minister said the dairy and animal husbandry sectors would bring about change in the lives of farmers.

Hitting out at the Opposition, the prime minister said its dictionary contains words such as “mafiavad [mafia rule]” and “parivarvad [dynastic politics]” while the BJP’s motto was “sabka saath, sabka vikas [with all, development for all]”.

“When I talk about double-engine and double-power governments then some people are troubled. These are the people who saw the politics in Uttar Pradesh through the lens of caste, creed and religion,” Modi said at the public meeting. He alleged that such leaders never wanted Uttar Pradesh to develop a modern identity or have schools, roads, hospitals, toilets, and houses for the poor.

“What the people of Uttar Pradesh got during the previous regimes and what they got during the present regime, the difference is clear. We are giving a boost to the heritage of Uttar Pradesh as well as its development. But those who think about their personal interest do not like the development of Uttar Pradesh,” the
prime minister claimed.

The prime minister also laid the foundation stone of a biogas-based electricity plant for the Milk Producers’ Cooperative Union in the district’s Ramnagar area, and launched a website and logo for the “Conformity Assessment Scheme” that has been developed by the Bureau of Indian Standards with the help of the National Dairy Development Board. The logo will serve as the mark of the quality of dairy products. He also transferred Rs 35 crore bonus to the bank accounts of more than 1.7 lakh milk producers associated with Banas Dairy.

Modi then virtually distributed rural residential rights records, known as Gharauni, under the Svamitva Scheme of the Union Ministry of Panchayati Raj to more than 20 lakh people in the state.