Saharanpur (Uttar Pradesh), March 29 (Inditop.com) Newly appointed Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) secretary Varun Gandhi Monday called for a complete ban on cow slaughter in a fiery speech here.

“Cow slaughter is a legal and social crime. It’s not for Hindus only. It should be banned because it’s a question of the nation’s pride,” the MP from Pilibhit in Uttar Pradesh said at a public rally in Saharanpur district.

“If somebody wants to harm your mother, what would you do? You would definitely come and fight for her. Why are we silent about this serious issue? I want people to wake up and save our mother,” he said amid repeated slogans of ‘Jai Shri Ram’ from the crowd.

He also targeted the Uttar Pradesh government for communal riots in Bareilly and alleged that it was a conspiracy to allow a Muslim rally on the day of Holi.

A minor communal clash over the passage of a Barawafat procession followed by sporadic arson March 2 led to curfew in several parts of Bareilly.

He referred to Chief Minister Mayawati as “Malawati” and said the garlands of currency notes worth “crores of rupees” should have been used for the welfare of poor farmers.