Unbelievable as it may sound but Prime Minister Narendra Modi has spoken against the terrorism of the right-wing cow vigilantes twice in as many days.
This has come as a refreshing change to many, who accused the prime minister of maintaining mysterious silence on the atrocities committed by militants belonging to elements belonging to his party or its affiliates.
In his first comments on the violence against Dalits by right-wing cow protection groups, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday had strongly rebuked them, saying most of them are “anti-social” elements who are running “shops” in the name of cow protection which makes him “angry”.
He asked state governments to prepare “dossiers” on the so-called cow protectors as 80 per cent of them do illegal activities at night and become cow protectors in the day, asserting that running such help groups does not mean harassing others.
On Sunday, Modi went a step further and accused the cow vigilantes were hell bent on creating tension in the society.
He said, “Some people want ‘tanaav’ (tension) in the society in the name of ‘cow protection.’ He asked people to beware of ‘fake’ cow vigilantes; asks state governments to take action.
His statements came even as his supporters on social media and Hindu Mahsabha slammed him for his comments criticising the violence of gau rakshaks or self-proclaimed cow protectors.
Congress party on Sunday said that Modi had made comments on cow vigilantes due to the fear of losing Gujarat, where Dalits and Muslims had been left alienated because of the recent violence of so-called gau-rakshak groups.