Hathras (UP), March 9 Animal Husbandry and Dairy Development Minister Dharampal Singh on Monday said that claims of cow slaughter taking place in Uttar Pradesh are “false propaganda” and the state ranks first in the country in milk production.
Speaking to mediapersons here, Singh said, “Ever since Yogi Adityanath became the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, butchers tremble at the sight of a cow. Whereas earlier cows used to tremble at the sight of butchers.”
"It is false propaganda that cow slaughter is taking place in Uttar Pradesh,” he said.
Referring to the proposed cow protection campaign by Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati, Singh said if the Shankaracharya decides to take his campaign to West Bengal instead of Uttar Pradesh, he would join him there as well.
“There too we will form a government of cow devotees and stop cow slaughter,” he said.
On Saturday, Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati announced that a major campaign for cow protection would be launched in Lucknow on March 11, when a 40-day deadline given to declare the cow as ‘Rajya Mata’ and impose a complete ban on cow slaughter ends.
He had also invited Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to join the March 11 campaign.
Singh was in Hathras to attend a departmental review meeting on cow protection, management of cow shelters and related arrangements.
He expressed concern over the production of adulterated milk but said Uttar Pradesh continues to be the top milk-producing state in the country.
The minister also said that four closed Parag dairies, in Gorakhpur, Ambedkar Nagar, Kanpur and Kannauj, will be reopened in March.
Responding to a question about the closed Parag dairy in Sasni in Hathras district, he said he would speak to the district magistrate and if the unit is in a position to operate, it would also be reopened.