NEW DELHI: Samajwadi Party leader Zeeshan Ansari on Monday wrote a letter in his own blood to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging the Centre to declare the cow as the country’s “Rashtra Mata” (national mother).Ansari wrote the letter outside district magistrate’s office in Varanasi before submitting it to the PM through local administration. He said his move was intended to seek clarity from the BJP on its stand regarding cow protection.“I come from the Muslim community; that is why I have taken this initiative. BJP leaders keep making different statements regarding the cow. We want the BJP to make its stand clear by declaring the cow as the ‘Rashtra Mata’,” PTI quoted Ansari as saying.He said the cow holds a special place in the sentiments of people across India.“In many households, the first roti is set aside for the cow. At the same time, BJP chief ministers such as Shubhendu Adhikari and Himanta Biswa Sarma have made statements about having roti with cow,” Ansari said.The Samajwadi Party leader said his letter was aimed at urging the Centre to formally recognise the cultural and religious significance attached to the cow by declaring it the “Rashtra Mata.”
