Lucknow, Dec 24 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi has begun worrying about cows and other livestock (govardhan and pashudhan) ahead of the assembly elections while UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath kept silent on their plight in cowsheds in the state, state Congress chief Ajay Kumar Lalu alleged on Friday.

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Lalu made the allegation a day after Prime Minister Modi observed in Varanasi that talking about cows today has been made a "sin" by some people but "it is the mother and sacred for us".

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Reacting to PM's observation, Lalu said, "In the past four-and-half years, the Adityanath government and the Modi government have done nothing to stop the atrocities committed on cows in 'gaushalas' (cowsheds), nor did they take the name of the cow.”

“Now, as the assembly elections are nearing in Uttar Pradesh, the Modi government has begun thinking of 'govardhan' (cows) and 'pashudhan' (livestock),” he said.

"Modi ji is telling people that the cows are revered. Who does not know it? Modi ji should tell us what the UP government has done to improve the plight of cows in cowsheds,” he said.

The UP Congress chief also said the party general secretary has raised the issue of the poor condition of cows but the Adityanath government did not heed to it.

While addressing a rally in Varanasi after inaugurating and laying foundation stones of 27 projects, including a dairy project, PM Modi on Thursday had said those making jokes on cows and buffaloes forget that the livelihood of eight crore families depends on "pashudhan" (livestock).

"Talking about cow, talking about 'govardhan' has been made a matter of 'gunah' (sin) by some people. A cow can be a sin for some people, for us it is our mother and sacred,” Modi had said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)