Lucknow: Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad on Sunday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the Bulandshahr violence and said PM should declare cow as the national animal.
Speaking via Facebook Live, Chandrashekhar said, “I request PM Modi to declare cow the national animal and ban cow slaughter across the country. Why is cow slaughter still allowed in some BJP-ruled states? PM Modi does not understand the pain of losing children (to violence linked to alleged slaughtering of cattle) as he does not have any of his own. Half the ministers in his cabinet also don’t have children and that is why they don’t understand the pain of losing a son, father or husband to violence of such kind.”
On December 3, a mob of some 400 people rampaged through a village in Bulandshahr district apparently after cow carcasses were found in a jungle nearby. During the violence, Inspector Subodh Kumar Singh and a 20-year-old man died of gunshot wounds.
Referring to the RSS, VHP and Bajrang Dal as “terrorist organisations,” Chandrashekhar said, “These groups are trying to break the cultural fabric of the country. Baba Saheb had banned such organisations in 1956 but later the bans were lifted.”
Raking up issue of promotion in reservation, Chandrashekhar said the BJP government did not promote a single SC/ST despite the supreme court order as it lacks the will to do so. He also claimed that the education budget for the backward classes and Dalits was slashed deliberately and urged the communities not to vote for the upper castes. “I gave ‘sawarns’ a chance to clarify their stand but they have always opposed the SC/ST Act and reservation. And you want to vote for them? We have decided we will not vote for the upper caste.”
During the live chat, he also announced a rally in Hapur district on December 18 and urged people to turn up in huge numbers.