Prime Minister Narendra Modi may have scored a few brownie points by denouncing cow vigilantes, but the move has attracted criticism from the Hindu Mahasabha and Vishva Hindu Parishad.
Modi had, on Saturday and Sunday, lashed out at cow vigilantes, holding them responsible for the acts of violence against dalits and Muslims in various states. The prime minister had gone on to ask people to beware of "nakli gau rakshak (fake cow vigilantes)" and pointed out that most of these people were serving their self-interests in the name of cow protection.
Joining Mahasabha and VHP, Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha, too, expressed dissatisfaction over Modi's statements. It claimed that the prime minister failed to prevent cow slaughter and his remarks were only an attempt to divert people's attention from that.
Calling the statements of the prime minister a "political stunt", the VHP and Hindu Mahasabha functionaries said Modi insulted gau rakshaks.
VHP's UP state vice president (cow protection) Sunil Parashar went on to warn Modi and the BJP that both the party and the prime minister "changed colours" after coming to power and that would cost them politically.
