Shima, June 12 -- As part of the ongoing Gau Dhwaj initiative established by Shankaracharya Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati, his national media in-charge Shailendra Yogiraj Sarkar reiterated the demand that the Central Government should officially declare "Gau Mata" (the holy cow) as "Rashtra Mata" (Mother of the Nation).

Addressing the media at a press conference in Shimla on Wednesday afternoon, Shailendra Yogiraj Sarkar said that there is a need to withdraw the slaughter permission in some Indian states.

"We worship Gau Mata, but in some states, governments have legally permitted her slaughter. This contradiction must end. Our primary demand is to ban cow slaughter across India and to enact a central law declaring Gau Mata as Rash...