Indian gov’t withdraws appeal to hug cows on Valentine’s Day
Advertisement
Read this article for free:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Digital Subscription
One year of digital access for only $205*
- Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
- Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
- Access News Break, our award-winning app
- Play interactive puzzles
*First annual payment billed as $205.00 + GST for one year. This annual subscription will automatically renew at $233.00 + GST every 52 weeks (10% off the regular annual price of $259.35). Offer available to new and qualified returning subscribers only. Cancel any time.
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Add Free Press access to your Brandon Sun subscription for only an additional
$1 for the first 4 weeks*
- Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
- Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
- Access News Break, our award-winning app
- Play interactive puzzles
*Your next Brandon Sun subscription payment will increase by $1.00 and you will be charged $17.95 plus GST for four weeks. After four weeks, your payment will increase to $24.95 plus GST every four weeks.
Read unlimited articles for free today:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 10/02/2023 (1330 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
NEW DELHI (AP) — India’s government on Friday withdrew its appeal to citizens to mark Valentine’s Day next week not as a celebration of romance but as “Cow Hug Day” to better promote Hindu values.
The appeal had attracted widespread criticism from political rivals and on social media.
A terse statement issued by the government-run Animal Welfare Board of India said the appeal issued Wednesday “stands withdrawn.”
Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay, a political analyst, said the call to hug cows had been “absolutely crazy, defying logic.”
“The decision to withdraw the government appeal was to prevent the politics of Hindutva (Hindu nationalism) from being ridiculed in the face of severe criticism from all quarters,” he said.
Young, educated Indians typically spend Valentine’s Day crowding parks and restaurants, exchanging gifts and holding parties.
The Animal Welfare Board had said Wednesday that “hugging cows will bring emotional richness and increase individual and collective happiness.”
Devout Hindus, who worship cows as holy, say the Western holiday goes against traditional Indian values.
In recent years, Hindu hard-liners have raided shops selling Valentine’s Day items, burned cards and gifts, and chased hand-holding couples out of restaurants and parks, insisting that the day promotes promiscuity. Hindu nationalist groups such as Shiv Sena and Bajrang Dal say such raids help reassert a Hindu identity.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has been pushing a Hindu agenda, seeking the religion’s supremacy in a secular nation known for its diversity. Hindus comprise nearly 80% of the nearly 1.4 billion people. Muslims account for 14%, while Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists and Jains account for most of the remaining 6%.
The cow has long been embedded in the Hindu psyche and is deeply respected by many, much like one’s mother. Most states in India have banned cow slaughter.
