Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati, the 'Shankaracharya' of the Jyotirmath Peeth in Uttarakhand, on Saturday visited Tripura to spread the message of cow protection as part of his nationwide 'Gau-Dhwaj Sthapana’ yatra, seeking a ban on cow slaughter. Shankaracharya's visit comes in the wake of widespread protests in many north-eastern states such as Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Meghalaya that denied him entry. In Agartala, the seer demanded the cow be declared as ‘Rashtramata’ and advocated the need for formulating a law to ban cow slaughter. He called for the promotion of cow-shelter houses and demanded strict penal provisions for those who slaughter cows in the country. Swami Avimukteshwaranand installed a 'gau dhwaj' or cow flag at Talakona in West Tripura district to symbolise the objectives of the movement. Though Shankaracharya had arrived at the Donyi Polo Airport in Arunachal Pradesh on Thursday and Nagaland, he was not allowed to go out of the airports citing potential law and order disruption. Meanwhile in Meghalaya, several student and social organisations such as the Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) and the Hynniewtrep Youth Council (HYC) held demonstrations saying they would not allow him to set foot in their state as well. The activists said they would not allow anyone to dictate their dietary habits or their lifestyle. The Shankaracharya stressed that the cow has been a symbol of God and the importance of cows are mentioned in sacred texts such as the Vedas, Puranas etc. "For us who are sanatanis - Hindus, cow has been a vital factor for us since ages. The legacy of cows and its significance is replete across Vedas, Puranas and the history of our tradition. Rama and Krishna, whom we worship, were incarnated for Gaumata. But we still need to raise our voices for protecting the lives and dignity of cows. There were movements (in its favour) before Independence. It was assured that after Swaraj became a reality post departure of the British colonials, the new government would first stop cow slaughter," he said. In a sharp oblique jibe at the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Swami Avimukteshwaranand said, "Even after 78 years have passed since Independence (of India), different party's governments came to power and went, many are coming to power now and again going out of power. But even after taking a huge number of Hindu votes, business is being done with cow meat. Nearly a hundred crore Hindus of the country want the Central Government to enact laws to protect cows from slaughter but they are deeply saddened to see no laws still being enacted". He stated that he is touring the country as part of Gau-Dhwaj Sthapana Bharat Yatra to set up cow flags and propagate the need for a national cow protection law. Apart from protection of cows, he also flagged demands of elevating cows to the status of mother of the nation or ‘Rashtramata’. He said that the aim is to disseminate the message among masses initially without applying any force on them. However, obliquely referring to ongoing protests in the North East against his yatra, Swami Avimukteshwaranand said, "We don't want anyone to forcefully quit their food habit. But we wanted to develop society and discuss it". Explaining his stand against beef-eating habits, the seer on Saturday claimed that Rohingyas who are Muslims from Myanmar had started eating human flesh. "Beef is being eaten due to some reasons in some places. Some people claim eating beef is their right. Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar had started eating human flesh. If they claim eating human flesh is their right after consuming it for some time, it can't be accepted. So, we should set our eating habits considering everyone's sentiments and not hurting anyone in particular," he said. He claimed that the fact that protests are happening proves that his issues have reached the people. "We aren't discussing this with the government at this stage… Let us take our issues to the people first. If people become aware, they will form government as per their wish. Government is formed by people after all," the seer said. A few days ago he had said that India never had a President or a Prime Minister who could be called 'real' Hindu. He had also questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not enacting a cow protection law and said he had said his heart ached when he saw cows being slaughtered before he became the PM of the country but even after holding the office for three consecutive terms, the same law didn't become a reality.
