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

ISKCON claimed that allegations are unfounded as it has pioneered the protection of cows in countries where beef is a staple diet.

In a viral video, former Union minister and animal rights activist Maneka Gandhi has accused the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) of being the “biggest cheat in the country” and alleged that it sells cows from its gaushalas (cowsheds) to the butchers.

ISKCON though claimed that allegations are unfounded as it has pioneered the protection of cows in countries where beef is a staple diet.

In a video, Gandhi is heard saying, “ISKCON is the biggest cheat in the country. It maintains gaushalas and gets benefits from the government, including vast lands.”

Maneka said that she recently visited ISKCON’s gaushala (cow shelter) in Andhra Pradesh’s Anantapur and that she did not find a single cow in good condition there. “There were no calves in the Gaushala, which means all of them were sold off,” the former Union minister alleged.

“They are the ones who roam on the road chanting ‘Hare Rama Hare Krishna’ and say their entire life is dependent on milk,” she was heard saying.

ISKON, however, dismissed the allegations and denied that Maneka had visited their Anantapur facility. In a statement, ISKCON’s national spokesperson Yudhistir Govinda Das said they were baseless.

“ISKCON has pioneered cow protection in many parts of the world where beef is a staple diet,” Das said in the statement. “Many of the cows presently served in ISKCON’s goshalas were brought to us after being abandoned, injured, or rescued from being slaughtered.”