On Tuesday, Mohan Bhagwat, a leader of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, stressed that preventing slaughter of cows in the country could not be only done by legal actions but by changing peoples mentality. In his address at the 452 nd Jayanti Mahotsav of Sant Malookdass in Vrindavan, Bhagwat remarked that a cow-worshipping society would automatically result in a stop to slaughtering cows.
He claimed that although the existing government might want to make such a ban, it would only be effective when it has popular support. According to him, the only way to ensure a lasting change was through awareness and collective feeling, since society would be committed to cows and the slaughtering of cows would cease.
Comparing the example of the construction of the Ram Mandir, Bhagwat has mentioned that the project was realised when the sentiment of people was powerful enough. He indicated that a nationwide ban on cow slaughter would not take effect unless there was another groundswell of opinion.
Another issue that Bhagwat raised was the fact that laws are not enough by themselves, there must be compliance by the population which he likened to a traffic signal, which will not work unless the citizens obey it. He called on people in authority to engage in consultations and sensitization to garner consensus among the populace before enforcing stricter policies.
In his view, the moment the issue starts to be widely accepted, the policy action would be more possible and productive and would lead to a wider change in the society regarding the issue.