Lucknow, June 1 -- Amid calls from several Muslim organisations across India to declare the cow as the national animal and put a blanket ban on cow slaughter, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, on Monday, June 1, argued that such a declaration was unnecessary, claiming the animal's place is equivalent to "mother" in Indian culture.

"Gauomata hamari rashtramata hai. Kya maa aur putra ke beech mein ghoshit karne ki avashaktha hai kya? Kya kisi putr ko batane ki avshaktha padhi hai ki tumhari maa hai, tho iska samman karo? (The cow is our mother and the mother of the nation. Does the bond between a mother and her child require official recognition? Has any child ever needed to be told that a woman is his mother and therefore dese...