Maneka sued for Rs 100 crore for saying ISKCON sold cows to butchers

ISKCON vice-president Radharaman Das said the organisation will legally pursue the case against the former Union minister till the end. Further, he said her comments were unfortunate and hurt the sentiments of the ISKCON devotees around the world.

"How could an MP who was a former minister lie about ISKCON without any evidence? She said she went to Anantpur gaushala, but people there can't remember Maneka Gandhi visiting. So, sitting at home, she is making these baseless allegations," Das said.

Maneka hits out at ISKCON

A video of BJP leader Maneka Gandhi, who is also an animal rights activist, recently went viral in which she dubbed the International Society for Krishna Consciousness or ISKCON the biggest cheaters in India.

"They establish gaushalas and get benefits from the government to run these gaushalas. And they get huge land for that. I visited their Anantpur gaushala. Not a single dry cow was present. All were dairies. No calf was there either which means all cows were sold. So, ISKCON is selling their cows to butchers,” she said. And, she added that they do 'hare ram hare krishna' on the roads and say their life is dependent on doodh, doodh, doodh, doodh.

“No one has sold as many cows to butchers as ISKCON has done. If these people can do it, what about the others?" she asked.

ISKCON denial

ISKCON immediately called the allegations baseless.

The group said in a statement that it was at the forefront of cow and bull protection and care not just in India but globally. “The cows and bulls are served for their life not sold to butchers as alleged. ISKCON has pioneered cow protection in many parts of the world where beef is a staple diet,” it said.

Within India, ISKCON runs more than 60 gaushalas protecting hundreds of sacred cows and bulls and providing personalised care for their entire lifetime, read the ISKCON statement. Also, they added that many of the cows presently in ISCKON's goshalas were brought to them after being found abandoned, injured, or rescued from being slaughtered.

ISKCON, in fact, trains farmers and farmers' households on cow care techniques to ensure the revival of cow worship, said the statement.

Meanwhile, ISKCON monk Amogh Lila Das posted a video on X with a cow and calf and said generally visitors do not visit the section where the calves are kept.

"They think ISKCON sends calves to the butchers. Madam, please come and see how they are being taken care of. Anyone can come anytime here. It's not that we are showing this for the purpose of this video," Das pointed out.