Yogi Adityanath's remarks come at a time when several Muslim religious bodies have voiced support for declaring the cow the national animal
NEW DELHI —Amid the contentious debate on declaring the cow the ‘national animal’, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has virtually ruled out the proposition altogether. He said such a move is unnecessary because the cow is equivalent to a “mother” in Indian culture.
Lambasting those calling the cow an animal, he said Muslim clerics should caution their followers against showing any disrespect towards it.
Speaking at a public gathering in Bijnore on Monday, Adityanath said that the cow does not require any “formal recognition” to establish its status as a mother.
“The cow is our mother and the mother of the nation. A mother’s relationship with her child does not depend on any official declaration. Has any child ever needed to be told that a woman is his mother and therefore deserves respect?” he asked.
He further added that the cow should not be viewed merely as an animal, but as a symbol deeply rooted in the country’s cultural and spiritual values.
His remarks come at a time when several Muslim religious bodies, including Ajmer Dargah Sharif, Nakhoda Masjid, and Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah, have voiced support for declaring the cow the national animal and called for an end to cow slaughter.
Referring to comments made by Katha Vachak Aniruddhacharya, who had also reportedly questioned the idea of treating a cow as a mother, All India Imam Association President Maulana Sajid Rashidi said that while Hindus are free to regard the cow as sacred, Islamic teachings view it as an animal. He pointed out that cows are mentioned in the Qur’an in the context of sacrifice and are not granted the status of a mother within the faith.
“As far as your faith is concerned, if you regard the cow as your mother, you are free to do so. In our faith, however, it is not regarded as a mother, and therefore we consider it an animal. In the Qur’an, several animals are mentioned in the context of sacrifice, and the cow is among them. It is mentioned because it is considered an animal,” Maulana Rashidi said.
Meanwhile, CPI(M) Andhra Pradesh State Secretary Babu Rao criticised the BJP and RSS, accusing them of using the cow as a political tool to deepen social divisions and mobilise voters along religious lines.
According to Rao, the ruling party’s shifting positions on the demand to declare the cow the national animal reveal a political approach rather than genuine concern for cow welfare.
“Yogi’s statement on the cow reflects that the BJP and RSS are now using the cow as a political weapon for polarisation and Hindu chauvinism. They are misusing the cow despite demands from several organisations to declare it the national animal. Now the BJP has changed its stance. Yogi’s statement shows that they have no real love for the cow and are only using it for votes, polarisation and communalisation,” Babu Rao said.
“Cow politics has once again been exposed. The BJP is not just playing politics with animals, but also with people’s lives,” Rao added.
