Shankaracharya Avimukteshwaranand has said that a live cow should have been taken inside the new Parliament building during its inauguration, claiming it would have brought blessings to the structure and those working in it.
Speaking to reporters on Sunday, the seer questioned, “If a statue of a cow can enter Parliament, why can’t a real cow be taken inside?” He pointed out that the Sengol, the ceremonial sceptre held by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the inauguration, features an image of a cow. “A living cow should also have been brought in to give its blessings,” he said, adding that if the government delays this, “we will bring cows from across the country and take them to Parliament ourselves.”
The Sengol is now placed in the Lok Sabha chamber. Shankaracharya also said that the Maharashtra government should immediately announce a formal procedure for honouring cows. “There is no official guideline yet on how to respect cows. The state must create a protocol and also set penalties for those who violate it,” he said.
He further demanded that every assembly constituency in India should have a “Ramadham,” a cow shelter that houses 100 cows. According to him, 4,123 such shelters would be built across the country, focusing on cow care, protection, and the promotion of native Indian breeds.
People who follow the official protocol while caring for cows would be financially rewarded. “Whoever takes care of 100 cows should be given ₹2 lakh per month,” he said.
The Shankaracharya also said the Dharma Sansad has passed a resolution congratulating BJP MP Darshan Singh Chowdhary for demanding that the cow be declared “Rashtramata” or Mother of the Nation. He said people should vote only for candidates who care about cows and support laws that protect them. “The current government has not satisfied us yet. Cow slaughter must be completely stopped in India,” he said.
On the ongoing language debate, he remarked that Hindi was the first to be used for administrative purposes. “The Marathi-speaking state was formed in 1960, and Marathi got recognition later. Hindi includes several dialects, just like Marathi,” he explained.
He also said any act of violence should be treated as a criminal offence and demanded justice in the Malegaon blast case, insisting that the real culprits should be punished.
Criticising the current government, he said, “It is absurd to celebrate Amrit Kaal when cows who give us milk are being slaughtered. Those in power can’t be called our brothers if they don’t stand for cows.”
