Cow not an animal for them: PM Modi takes a swipe at animal lovers, and more

“Recently, I met some animal lovers,” Modi said, pausing as the audience broke into laughter. He then added: “Why are you laughing? Our country has many such people (animal lovers), and the unique thing is most of them do not consider the cow as an animal.” The remark drew laughter from the gathering, including union culture minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat.

The Prime Minister’s comment came against the backdrop of intense debate over a Supreme Court directive to civic bodies in Delhi-NCR ordering blanket removal of stray dogs from the streets and confining them to shelters.

The Prime Minister himself has often been seen engaging with cows, with images of him feeding and caressing them during festivals going viral in recent years. Notably, cows are considered sacred in Hinduism and worshipped as ‘Gau Mata’.