In a shocking statement, activist and preacher, Sadhvi Saraswati, on Wednesday, said that she will “request” the Central government to hang people who eat beef as “status symbol”.
She was speaking at the inauguration of a four-day All India Hindu Convention in MP, organised by the Hindu Janajagriti Samiti, which is allied to the Sanathan Sanstha. Some members of the Sanstha are accused in the murder of Narendra Dabholkar, rationalist and anti-superstition activist in Pune in 2013. The RSS, BJP and VHP had distanced themselves from the event and the organisation earlier, and no leader was present at the event.
During the session, Sadhvi said that the “biggest challenge” today is not converting a non-Hindu to Hinduism. “Pehle Hindu ko hi Hindu banana hai (first we need to convert a Hindu to Hindu) — that is our biggest challenge today… They are in the garb of seculars… these seculars are the first who will be attacked,” she said.
Her remarks on beef-eating were, “Jo vyakti apne ma (gau mata) ka maas khaane ko apna status symbol maanta hai, aisi vyaktiyon ko Bharat sarkar se nivedan karti hoon, phaansi pe latkana chahiye. beech chaurahey pe latkana chahiye… tab logon ko pata chalega ki gau mata ki rakhsa karna hamara kartavya hai (People who take it as status symbol to eat beef… I request the Centre to hang them in public. People will then understand that cow protection is our responsibility).”
Saraswati also said that Hindus need to save their daughters from love jihad. “Agar hum shastra nahi rakhenge toh aanewale samay mein hamara vinaash hoga (if we do not stock arms, we will be destroyed in future)”, she remarked.
