Announce cow as national animal: Jitendra Kottary

Belthangady: Uncontrolled cow slaughtering resulted in the extinction of cow population in the country. So it is the need of the time to announce cow as the national animal, said Jitendra Kottary, vice president of VHP Mangalore division.

He was speaking in mass Gopooja (cow worshipping) on the eve of golden jubilee celebration of VHP infront of Dharmasthala temple on Friday October 24, organised by VHP and Bajarangdal.

India is transporting beef to 18 countries. Rationalists are opposing the ban on cow slaughtering. We worship our land as motherland. In the same way we worship cow as our mother. Everybody must take oath of saving the cows. There is a conspiracy to destroy the ancient tradition of respecting and worshipping the nature by Hindus, he added.

Bhaskar Dharmasthala, Puttur district convener of Bajarangdal, leaders Haridas Gambhira, Jayaram Bhandary, Achyuta Poojary, Rathnaraja Jain, Nagendra, Ramesh Poojary, Sandesh Gowda and others were present.

Priest performed the rituals of Gopooja. Women decorated the cows and lighted the lamps. Prabhakar Gowda Posandody welcomed. Shrinivas Rao hosted the program. Secretary of VHP Dharmasthal, Sandesh read the vote of thanks.