Raj minister stands by cow remarks, says they are based on research

Unfazed by criticism over his remarks that the cow is the only animal to "exhale oxygen", Rajasthan education minister Vasudev Devnani today stood by his claim, basing it on "research websites".

Devnani had made the claim on Saturday while speaking at a programme organised by Akshya Patra foundation at Hingonia cow rehabilitation centre. "I read this fact on research websites and it recently appeared in a magazine of Akshya Patra, saying that cow inhales and exhales oxygen and included this in my speech on Saturday," the education minister today said.

To underscore the "scientific significance" of the "holy animal", he reiterated today this reference can be found in "research studies". Various studies have been conducted on the cow, its urine and dung, and "people need to understand its scientific values," he said.

"The Gaumutra's benefits and its medicinal values are well known and people use and take its benefits. The burning of cow dung makes the environment free of harmful micro-organisms and mosquitoes, making the place suitable for living," he said. "Scientific journals and research papers are the base of my statements," he said.