Shankaracharya Swami Avimukteshwar Anand has issued a strong public demand addressed to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, calling for decisive action on cow protection. He urged the Chief Minister to declare the cow as the “Rajya Mata” (State Mother) of Uttar Pradesh within 40 days, arguing that if Maharashtra can grant such status, Uttar Pradesh has no justification for refusing. He also cited Nepal—where Guru Gorakhnath is deeply revered—as an example, noting that the cow enjoys national status there and cow slaughter carries the strictest punishment. The Shankaracharya further alleged that more than 40% of India’s beef exports originate from Uttar Pradesh, calling this incompatible with claims of Hindu governance. He demanded an immediate ban on beef exports from the state and questioned how “Ram Rajya” can be established through revenue earned from cow slaughter. He rejected official claims that exported meat is only buffalo meat, stating that laboratory DNA tests have repeatedly confirmed it to be cow meat, including meat from calves. He gave the Uttar Pradesh government a 40-day ultimatum to prove its commitment to Hindu values through concrete action, warning that failure to do so would expose what he described as hypocrisy and symbolic, rather than real, Hindutva.

