BJP MP Maneka Gandhi recently made a shocking statement with regards to the famous International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) in a video that has become viral on social media. Maneka Gandhi said that the organization ISKCON is the biggest cheat in India. Gandhi, who is an animal rights activist, claimed that ISKCON sells cows from their gaushalas (cowsheds) to butchers.
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Gandhi stated in the video the following lines, “The biggest cheat in India today is ISKCON. They establish gaushalas for which they get unlimited benefits from the government to run them. They get huge land.. everything. I just visited their Anantput Gaushala. Not a single dry cow is present. All are dairies. There is not a single calf. It means all of them were sold. ISCKON is selling all its cows to the butcher”.
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A dry cow is the one that not been milked. She further added in the video, “…They say their entire life is dependent on milk…Probably no one has sold as many cattle to butchers as they did. If these people can do it, what about others?”
The video went viral and made ISKCON which is partnered with the Hare Krishna movement speak back on the accusations. BJP MP called Gandhi’s statement to be false and unsubstantiated. ISKCON’s spokesperson Yudhistir Govinda Das wrote on X, earlier called Twitter, wrote, “ISKCON has been at the forefront of cow and bull protection and care not just in India but globally. The cows and bulls are served for their life not sold to butchers as alleged”.
ISKCON also released an official statement that called Gandhi’s statements surprising, it read: “ISKCON has pioneered cow protection in many parts of the world where beef is a staple diet. Within India, ISKCON runs more than 60 gaushalas protecting hundreds of sacred cows and bulls and providing personalised care for their entire lifetime. Many of the cows presently served in ISCKON’s gaushalas were brought to us after being found abandoned, injured, or rescued from being slaughtered.”
“In recent times, ISKCON has begun training programs for the farmers and rural households on cow care techniques to help revive the culture of cow worship and care as was the case in previous generations. Several ISCKON gaushalas are recognised and lauded for their high cow-care standards by the government or associate of gaushalas.”
However, there were several negative reactions to the shocking situation.
Coordinator of INC Overseas Vijay Thottathil went on to share Maneka Gandhi’s video on X and said that this big as these allegations were made by an ex-central minister of BJP and it is none other than Maneka Gandhi.
He further questioned the cow vigilantes and asked if they were not keeping an eye on these activities of ISKCON. He also asked if the government would not conduct a probe over these allegations.
ISKCON is a Gaudiya Vaishnava Hindu religious group that was started in 1966 in New York City by A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.
