Jagadguru Shankaracharya Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati, who has been trying to organise ‘Gau Dhwaj Sthapana Bharat Yatra’ in different parts of the country demanding to declare the cow as the mother of the nation and to enact a Central law to stop cow slaughter, said that over one lakh cowsheds (Gau Dhwaj) would be set up across the country for the protection of cows.

The revered Hindu seer from Uttarakhand came to Agartala in connection with the setting up of a cowshed in West Tripura’s Tulakona.

“Since before the independence of the country, there was a widespread demand to prohibit cow slaughter and the same demand further strengthened across the country. Cows are worshipped by the Hindus,” he said.

He added that most people believed that slaughtering cows would be banned after the British left India, but it has not happened for the past seven decades.

“Several governments have come to the Center but this serious issue remains unresolved,” he said.

He said that they are trying to convince the people that “Gau Mata’s” dignity and respect must be maintained.

Noting that some people in few Northeastern states consume beef, the Hindu seer said that a section of people in some Northeastern states opposed the setting up of cow sheds.

He said that opposition or criticism on the issue led to discussion on the matter.

“I believe one-day people would understand and would change their dietary habits. We, however, do not force anyone about their diet or food habit or their choice of thinking,” Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati said.

Meanwhile, due to strong opposition, Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati could not go to Shillong on Saturday to hold ‘Gau Dhwaj Sthapana Bharat Yatra’ on October 2 in the Meghalaya capital.

He cancelled his trip to Shillong on Saturday after the Meghalaya government requested the Airport Authority of India (AAI) to refuse the landing facility of his chartered flight, officials said.

The District Magistrate of the East Khasi Hills district, in which Meghalaya's capital Shillong falls, promulgated prohibitory orders under Section 163 BNSS banning the assembly of five or more people in the district

An AAI official of Shillong airport said that they have informed the seer about the Meghalaya government’s decision not to allow his chartered flight to land at Shillong airport at Umroi.

On Friday, hundreds of protestors from various organisations including the Khasi Students' Union (KSU), gathered outside the Shillong airport to prevent the seer and his entourage from moving out of the airport.

The ‘Gau Dhwaj Sthapana Bharat Yatra’ is facing stiff opposition from different organisations in several states of the northeastern region.

Nagaland and Meghalaya are Christian-majority states, and beef is one of the most common and popular meats consumed by people in several northeastern states.

Meanwhile, Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati was turned back from the airports in Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland on Thursday after he arrived at the two airports by chartered flight.

The spiritual leader, who arrived at Donyi Polo Airport in Hollongi in Arunachal Pradesh faced opposition from members of the All Arunachal Pradesh Students Union (AAPSU).

Saraswati, who was scheduled to address the ‘Gau Dhwaj Sthapana Bharat Yatra’ in Kohima on September 28, had to return from Dimapur airport on Thursday without fulfilling his planned programme as he was barred from leaving the airport.

The Nagaland government on September 11 announced that it would not allow the holding of ‘Gau Mahasabha’ and Gau Dhwaj Sthapana Bharat Yatra in Kohima on September 28.

*Agency Report.