Maneka Gandhi says ISKCON 'sells cows to butchers', temple body rejects allegations

The ISKCON, the most influential Krishna sect in the world, has responded to the allegations and rejected them as "unsubstantiated and false".

Gandhi, a former union minister and an animal rights activist, is vocal on social media over issues of animal welfare.

"ISKCON is the biggest cheat in the country. It maintains gaushalas and get benefits from the government, including vast lands," she is heard saying in a video that has gone viral.

Recalling her visit to ISKCON's Anantpur Gaushala in Andhra Pradesh, she said she couldn't find any cow there that doesn't give milk or calves. "There was no dry cow in the entire dairy. Not a single calf was there. It means all were sold."

A dry cow is one that has not been milked for some time.

"ISKCON is selling all its cows to the butchers. No one else does this as much they do. And they go on and sing 'Hare Ram Hare Krishna' on the roads. Then they say their entire life is dependent on milk. Probably, no one has sold as many cattle to the butchers as they did," she alleged.

Rejecting the allegations, ISKCON's national spokesperson Yudhistir Govinda Das said the religious body 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," he said.

ISKCON has pioneered cow protection in many parts of the world where beef is a staple diet, said an ISKCON statement shared by him.

"Smt. Gandhi is a well-known animal rights activist and well-wisher of ISKCON hence we are surprised by these statements," said the statement.