RSS claims cow protection is not about any religion, laments 'politicising of issue'

Pune: RSS general secretary Bhaiyyaji Joshi claimed that the cow protection issue was being politicised and turned into a sensitive one. [caption id=“attachment_3515113” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Representational image. Reuters[/caption] “Currently in the country, unfortunately, the issue of cow protection is being politicised and deliberately made sensitive and conflicting and this act is a social sin,” he said, while addressing the valedictory function of the RSS’s first and second year cadre training camp in Pune. According to Joshi, who is the Sahakaryavah of RSS, “cow protection is not against any religion or any particular community”. “Since ancient time, cow has been the medium of agriculture and economic growth for the agrarian community in the country,” he said. He also emphasised that the Sangh believes in dialogue and not in conflict. “We think that with the help of dialogue, cooperation, the issues can be sorted out, rather than conflict,” he said. While incidents of “gau-rakshaks” indulging in violence have been reported from several parts of the country, the issue of beef ban came to fore once again recently with the Centre’s ban on sale of cattle for slaughter at animal markets.