Puri Shankaracharya calls for law banning cow slaughter

Amid the beef row, Puri Shankaracharya Adhokshajanand Tirtha Maharaj today called for a central legislation banning cow slaughter even as he was critical of the Delhi police action in Kerala Bhawan in the national capital over a complaint of beef being served there.
"Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi should bring a legislation for ban on cow slaughter in the Parliament as well as a ban on export of beef," Shankaracharya of Goverdhan Peetham Adhokshajanand Maharaj said here while talking to reporters.
The seer was in favour of withdrawal of beef from the menu of hotels and boycott of different products made from body parts of cow.

However, the Shankaracharya, remained critical of beef row in Kerala Bhawan on Monday and termed the police intervention an "attack on sovereignty of state government".
"Virtually it is an attack on the sovereignty of duly elected state government. If not checked, it would spoil the basic structure of the country," he said commenting on the issue.
In order to spread message of protecting Cow, Vedas and Brahmin, Adi Shankaracharya has travelled across the country and had set up four peetham, he said.

"Not only (Mahatma) Gandhi Ji has advocated for the protection of cow but Maharaj Niranjan Deo Tirtha, the then Shankaracharya of Puri peetham had observed 72-day fast for a ban on cow slaughtering, earlier," he added.

The Shankaracharya was also critical of the way some partners of Union Government were "spreading malice" against a section of society.
"It is not only an attack on the Ganga Jamuni culture of the country but disturbs harmony of the country. The early such forces are warned by the Prime Minister, the better it would be," he said.
He added that Modi should take a lesson from Uttar Pradesh Minister Azam Khan who, he said, has not only demanded a ban on cow slaughtering, but was also keeping cow.
"He (Azam Khan) had asked me to provide a cow since he wants to keep it. Impressed by his gesture, recently I have sent a cow along with heifer for him," he stated.

The gesture of Azam that dead cows should be buried is also appreciable, the seer said.