
Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati, the Shankaracharya of the Jyotish Peeth in Uttarakhand, has given the central government a 33-day deadline to decide on banning cow slaughter and declaring the cow as 鈥楻ashtra Mata.鈥� He has warned that if no action is taken by March 17, he will take a 鈥榯ough decision鈥�, PTI reported.
Addressing reporters at the Shankaracharya Camp in Sector 19, Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati stated that his movement to have the cow recognised as 鈥楻ashtra Mata鈥� has been on-going for the past one-and-a-half years.
鈥業t is mentioned in the scriptures that 33 crore gods and goddesses reside in the body of a cow. We have been running a movement to declare the cow as 鈥楻ashtra Mata鈥� for the last one-and-a-half years,鈥� he said.
The seer announced that a 33-day-long yatra would begin the day after Maghi Purnima 13 February and conclude in Delhi on March 17.
Swami Avimukteshwaranand stated that the Centre has until March 17 to take a decision on the matter. 鈥楾he central government has 33 days to take a decision. If it does not take any decision in these 33 days, then we will take a tough decision after 5 pm on March 17,鈥� he said.
He emphasised that the government should not categorise cows as animals but should recognise them as 鈥楻ashtra Mata.鈥�
鈥極ur demand from the government is that cow should be removed from the category of animal and declared as 鈥楻ashtra Mata鈥� and cow slaughter should be considered a crime. The state government is going to include the cow in the school curriculum. But even there, if the cow is called an animal, then what is the benefit of it?鈥� he questioned.