Raipur, Jul 8 (PTI) Members of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) have welcomed the Chhattisgarh government's decision to purchase cow dung from cattle rearers, but also demanded procurement of cow urine citing its benefits in farming.
Officer-bearers of 'Gau Gram Swavlamban Abhiyan Chhattisgarh', a drive being run mainly by the RSS workers, on Tuesday met Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel and handed over a memorandum while hailing 'Gaudhan Nyay Yojna' to be launched from July 21 for procuring cow dung.
They also put forth their various demands, including purchasing of cow urine and encouraging production of cow dung and urine-based manure.
"We have been running the campaign from the last one year for bovine protection, encouraging organic farming and to make villages self-reliant with the focus on our key demand from the state government to purchase cow dung and urine," said Bhuneshwar Sahu, state convener of Gaur Gram Swavlamban Abhiyan.
"We are thankful to the chief minister for considering the demand for purchase of cow dung," he said.
"In the memorandum, we urged the CM to fulfil our other demands, including purchasing cow urine, encouraging industries to manufacture fertilizers from cow dung and urine, imparting training and financial assistance to farmers for making organic manure and providing grant for the construction of cattle shelters to livestock owners in their home," Sahu, an RSS worker told PTI.
According to him, they also demanded that the government set up an exclusive organic market for purchasing cow-based organic produce at a reasonable rate, he added.
Bisraram Yadav, RSS's Chhattisgarh Prant Sanghchalak, is the patron of the campaign.
Sahu said, "Not only from the RSS, but people from several other organisations are associated with the campaign.
It seeks to protect cattle and promote organic farming in the state. Whoever contributes in the work of national interest will be hailed."
The appreciation by RSS workers came at a time when the opposition BJP has been ridiculing the proposed scheme of the government on social media platforms.
Former Minister and incumbent BJP MLA Ajay Chandrakar had recently uploaded a parody audio song on his Twitter handle, which said that the youth should give up studies as the state government has decided to make them collect cow- dung.
Meanwhile, senior BJP leader Sachchidanand Upasane said the appreciation of the scheme by people linked with Sangh should not be politicized.
"Gau Gram Swavlamban Abhiyan has been engaged for a long-time in activities related to cow protection and promoting organic farming. They have expressed their gratitude to CM on fulfilment of their demand. RSS and BJP have no role in it," he said.
The RSS is not a political organisation and if the people associated with it consider any work to be good, then it should not be politicized, rather it should be taken positively, Upasane added.
The ruling Congress, however, slammed the RSS, questioning why the organisation was silent when cows were being tortured in the previous BJP rule.
"In the previous Raman Singh government, BJP leaders allegedly indulged in corruption in the funds sanctioned for cow shelter homes and a large number of cows died. Why didn't RSS teach lessons to the BJP then but showing love for cows now," state Congress spokesperson Shailesh Nitin Trivedi said.
