Cow and Beef have become excuse to attack people: Tharoor on lynching incidents

New Delhi, July 24: The Congress on Tuesday lashed out at RSS leader Indresh Kumar for saying that people should stop eating beef to curb mob lynching incidents.

Kumar on Monday said mob lynching incidents could stop if people stopped eating beef. Kumar also emphasised on the importance of right "sanskaar" to deal with this problem.

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said hatred was being spread in communities in the name of cow and beef.

"Hatred is being spread in the country and various communities. Cow and Beef have just become an excuse to attack people," news agency ANI quoted Tharoor as saying.

Congress MP Husain Dalwai asked why Indresh Kumar is being allowed to speak when there are serious allegations against him.

"Indresh was named in bomb blast case. Why does the government allow him to speak like that? Why is he not jailed?..Unka lynching hoga to samjhega kya? (Will he understand when he is lynched?) We do not want this for anyone. They want to make India Pakistan or Afghanistan," Dalwai told ANI.

Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh Shia Waqf Board chief Waseem Rizvi came out in support of Indresh Kumar's statement and said Muslims should stop eating beef as it is 'haram' (Sin) in Islam.

Indresh Kumar had claimed that calling 'Hindus communal' is fraught with the risk of labelling all religions in the world as communal.

Speaking at the inauguration of Jagran Hindu Manch in Ranchi, Kumar said, "The Lynchings will stop if people don't eat beef. The cows must be protected and cowdung should be used as cement, then both poverty and violence will end... Jesus was born in a cowshed and that is why in Christianity they talk of 'Holy cow'. In Mecca and Medina killing cow is a crime. Can we not pledge not to kill cows. If we can pledge this our problem of mob lynching will be solved."

In the latest incident on Friday, a man attacked by a mob on suspicion of cow smuggling in Rajasthan's Alwar bled out as policemen took him to hospital three hours after they found him.