New Delhi

Indian lawmaker Maneka Gandhi from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party has launched a scathing attack against the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON). The video of her attacking the religious organisation went viral on social media on Tuesday (Sept 27) night.

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In the video, she branded ISKCON as the "biggest cheat" in India, accusing the organisation of selling cows from their gaushalas (cowsheds) to butchers.

Maneka Gandhi, an animal rights activist, is the elder daughter-in-law of former Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi but has not been associated with the Congress party. Her political career has been associated with the Bharatiya Janata Party since 1999 and the Janata Party prior to that. The 67-year-old former journalist is a member of India's lower house of parliament, Lok Sabha, from the Sultanpur constituency in north India's Uttar Pradesh state. 

Also reads | In Pics | The mesmerising ISKCON temples around the world

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"The biggest cheat in India today is ISKCON. They establish gaushalas for which they get unlimited benefits from the government to run them. They get huge land...everything. I just visited their Anantput Gaushala. Not a single dry cow is present. All are dairies. There is not a single calf. It means all of them were sold. ISCKON is selling all its cows to the butcher," Gandhi can be heard saying in the video.

ISKCON responds to Maneka Gandhi's claim

In response to the viral video, ISKCON refuted Gandhi's claims, and deemed them "unsubstantiated" and "false".

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ISKCON spokesperson, Yudhistir Govinda Das, asserted the religious organisation's commitment to cow and bull protection, claiming that these animals are not sold to butchers.

"ISKCON has been 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," Yudhistir Govinda Das wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Also watch | Communal violence in Bangladesh, ISKCON members demand justice

The religious organisation said that they were "surprised" by Gandhi's statements.

"ISKCON has pioneered cow protection in many parts of the world where beef is a staple diet. Within India, ISKCON runs more than 60 gaushalas protecting hundreds of sacred cows and bulls and providing personalised care for their entire lifetime. Many of the cows presently served in ISCKON's gaushalas were brought to us after being found abandoned, injured, or rescued from being slaughtered," the statement read.

It added, "In recent times, ISKCON has begun training programs for the farmers and rural households on cow care techniques to help revive the culture of cow worship and care as was the case in previous generations. Several ISCKON gaushalas are recognised and lauded for their high cow-care standards by the government or associate of gaushalas."

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