Amid Gujarat Assembly's silence, Congress' only MP speaks for cow as 'state mother'

The Congress' lone Lok Sabha member from Gujarat, Geniben Nagaji Thakor, has written to the state chief minister urging him to declare the cow as 'Rajya Mata' (state mother) as done by the NDA government in Maharashtra last year.

She wrote the letter in support of local religious leader Devnath Bapu, who has been on a hunger strike since last week to press for the demand.

"I have learnt that after getting no proper response to the letter written to 159 MLAs following a meeting of several mahantas, sadhus of Gujarat and Kutch district, national Hindu organisations and leaders of Bajrang Dal and Devnath Bapu at Rapar Kutch, to declare cow as the Rajya Mata, Devnath Bapu and several sadhus have launched a hunger strike," the letter said. "As a member of Lok Sabha and leader of Congress, I appeal to you to kindly declare cow as the Rajya Mata in Gujarat as done by Maharashtra."


Maharashtra had declared the state's indigenous cow breeds 'Rajyamata Gomata' in September 2024.

She emphasised that the letter did not manifest a soft Hindutva on the part of her party and reiterated that people revere cows as gomata.Devnath Bapu of Ekaldham has been on hunger strike in Kutch since last week.