RSS Akhil Bharatiya Gousewa Pramukh, Shri Shankarlal is happy with the decision of the Central Government to earmark Rs 500 crore for cow protection. But he feels that the government should ban beef export immediately and effective steps should be taken to curb the smuggling of
govansh to Bangladesh. In an exclusive interview to Organiser's Senior Correspondent Pramod Kumar in Kota, Rajasthan, Shri Shankarlal points out that after the Vishwa Mangal Gou Gram Yatra conducted in 2009-10 more than 700 new goushalas have begun and panchgavya products are being sold at about 400 spots in the country. Excerpts:
- What is the impact of the follow-up actions taken after Vishwa Mangal Gou Gram Yatra?
After the Yatra, cow protection became a mass movement as the involvement of people of all sections increased manifold. More than 700 new goushalas have begun and the people are able to distinguish between an ‘indigenous cow’ and a ‘foreign cow’. The demand of indigenous cow milk and other products has also increased all over the country. Many saints are also actively involved in it now. This is the reason the cows being taken to slaughter houses are freed by the people taking risk to their lives. A saint, Ramesh Baba, at Barsana in Mathura serves about 25,000 cows liberated from the butchers. He does not take money from the public for it but runs the goushala entirely with the money he earns by selling the Panchgavya products made in the goushala. Equally, Shri Datta Shranannadaji Maharaj at Pathmeda in Rajasthan is rendering yeoman services to cow protection. Not many saints also organise goukathas to awaken the people.
Our endeavour now is to highlight the economic aspect of the cow. We have to understand that the cow is not the creature to be worshipped but is hugely useful in social life too. She is a mobile dispensary and provides cure for all the diseases of human beings. Sardar Devendra Singh Texla at Mansa Mandi in Punjab has cured about 250 cancer patients by cow urine. Similar experiments are going on at Surat and Nagpur also.
- What is being done to popularise Panchgavya products?
The sales counters are being opened in different districts and the public response to the products is highly encouraging. A goushala at Erode in Kerala has 500 cows. They appointed a vaidya at the goushal who prescribes drugs made up of cow urine and cow dung to the patients according to their ailments. The result of this exercise is that the single goushala sells Panchgavya products worth Rs 50 lakh in a year. In Kolhapur (Maharashtra) also the work is encouraging. Such products are being sold or manufactured at more than 400 places across the country.
- Since the nature of the cow is to live freely, what is being done to grant her freedom of movement?
It is a wrong notion. The cow is a social creature. She needs both the human love and the forest. If we confine her to the house only her products will be affected. The cow detects the ailment of the person and takes the herbs from the forest accordingly. That is why exclusive gochar lands used to be developed in ancient days and now too they are necessary. The Supreme Court has also said to liberate the gochar lands from encroachment.
- What happened to the cow sanctuary developed in Madhya Pradesh some time back?
The work is in full swing. It is a big project spreading in about 14 km area. Now the work is on at similar projects at Sourashtra and Kachha of Gujarat for Gir and Kankarej breeds.
- Are the people who were associated with the Vishwa Mangal Gou Gram Yatra still active in this movement?
Yes, in all parts of the country. Rather more people have joined it. The prime reason is that people have understood the necessity of the cow. The cow has the capacity to make Bharat debt-free, disease-free, pollution-free, crime-free and also can help making India food surplus nation.
- How can the cow make Bharat debt-free?
We import Allopathic medicines worth Rs 6.5 lakh crore. Another Rs 4 lakh crore spent on chemical fertilizers and pesticides, and many crores on LPG, petrol, diesel. We can save all this money through cows. By encouraging Ayurveda and Homeopathy we can reduce expenses on Allopathic medicines. In 2013, the Central Government budget was 17 lakh crore which included 53,50,000 crore interest payment leaving only 11.5 lakh crore for spending.
If we don’t import foreign goods for one year the dollar will come down to 30 rupees and in three years it will be down to just Rs 10. This will collapse their economy and our economy will become strong. Similarly, we have to provide employment to all in coming years. We have energy sources like wind, sun, and cows. By making judicious use of them we can export energy to other countries. We can also export our talent to other countries and make them prosperous and peaceful. Thus Bharat will also become a prosperous country.
- What about food security?
Yes, the cow can make Bharat surplus food producing country to feed the entire world. Today, Russia has 1,700 million hectare (ha) land but out of it only 126 million hactare is arable. Rest is either barren or hilly. China has 960 million ha of land out of which 124 million ha land is agricultural land. The USA has 936 million ha out of which 177 million ha is farmland. Brazil has 851 million ha but they have only 53 million ha is arable. Bharat has comparatively less i.e. 328.7 million hectare total land out of which 190 million ha land is productive. If we make irrigation available for this land by joining rivers and fertilizers through cow we can produce enough food grains sufficient for entire population of the world. I asked the farmers as to how much they produce in one hectare. They said that in between two crops they produce 60 quintals. This multiplied by 19 crore we get 1,140 crore quintals. The world population is 700 crore. We can save 440 crore quintals of foodgrains even after feeding these 700 crore people. With this excess production we can purchase other items as per our requirements. There are nearly 200 crore non-vegetarian people in
the world. This proves that Bharat is capable of feeding the entire world population.
- What do you expect from the new government at the Centre?
The beginning of the government is encouraging. It has earmarked Rs 500 crore for Gokul Mission. This money has to be spent on the promotion of the indigenous cows. Naturally, a lot has to be done. Till now what is being done to protect the cow is being done only by the society. If the government takes it as a mission, most of our problems will be resolved within ten years.
- Don’t you feel the need of a Central law for cow protection?
Yes, but we know that the government does not have majority in the Rajya Sabha. We have to wait for some time. Our core group is meeting in Delhi from August 25 to 26. Some scientist will also attend that meeting.
- Is there any instance when the people successfully blocked the setting up of slaughter house?
Yes, at many places. In UP, we have been successful at several places. The states where cow slaughter is taking place on large scale are Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Kerala and Assam. We have to curb it at any cost. We too are trying to educate the advocates and judges about it.
- What about the ban on beef export?
It is dire need of the hour. This needs to be done on the part of the Central Government. Not only beef, but the smuggling of the cows being transported to Bangladesh has to be curbed. About 25 to 30,000 govansh are being smuggled to Bangladesh everyday. Some people of our country have vested interest in this trade. That is why they assist the smugglers in this anti-national act. If this is curbed, it will prove to be a milestone in cow protection.
