Hours after BJP MP Maneka Gandhi made an astonishing claim against the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (popularly known as ISKCON of selling cow to butchers, the temple body has hit back at the BJP MP calling her statement “unsubstantiated" and “false." In its official statement, ISKCON pointed out that it runs several Goshalas and serves many cows, many of which were rescued from getting slaughtered. It added that it has done cow protection in countries where beef is consumed as a staple diet. The letter states, “ISKCON has pioneered cow protection in many parts of the world where beef is a staple diet. Within India, ISKCON runs more than 60 Goshalas protecting hundreds of sacred cows and bulls and providing personalized care for their entire lifetime. Many of the cows presently served in ISKCON’s goshalas were brought to us after being found abandoned, injured, or rescued from being slaughtered.”
Stating that it has high standards of cow care/protection, the organisation added that it has been trying to revive the culture of cow worship and giving training to farmers on cow care techniques. It added, “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 ISKCON Goshalas are recognised and lauded for their high cow-care standards by the Government or association of Goshalas.” ISKCON added that they were surprised by Maneka Gandhi’s statements against them. In another tweet, ISKCON’s national spokesperson Das included a letter from a Veterinary doctor to highlight that even at their Anantapur Goshala, they serve many bulls and non-milking cows to refute Gandhi’s allegations against the particular Goshala. Sharing the document, it stated, “The Goshalas serve 76 bulls and 246 non-milking cows alongside milking cows with love and devotion.” MLA Anantha Venkatarami Reddy had also in a letter stated that ISKCON provides shelter to cows as part of their gaushala programme. MP Dr Talari Rangaiah said he believed that ISKCON would be the “right one to support the cause of saving cattle from ‘trafficking’.”