New Delhi, Aug 6 (PTI) : In his first comments on the violence against Dalits by cow vigilantes, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today strongly rebuked them, saying most of them are "anti-social" elements who are running "shops" in the name of cow protection which makes him "angry".
He asked state governments to prepare "dossiers" on the so-called cow protectors as 80 per cent of them do illegal activities at night and become cow protectors in the day, asserting that running such help groups does not mean harassing others.
Modi's made the sharp denouncement of cow vigilantes during his Town Hall-style address to mark the second anniversary of his government's MyGov initiative.
His comments come at a time when his government and BJP are facing flak over incidents of violence against Dalits and Muslims by cow vigilantes in various states including Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh.
"It makes me angry that people are running shops in the name of cow protection. Most of them are anti-social elements hiding behind the mask of cow protection.
"I will ask state governments to prepare a dossier on such people as 80 per cent of them will be found to be involved in anti-social activities which no society will approve of," he said.
Noting that more cows die from consuming plastics than are slaughtered, he said those who want to serve the animal should rather work towards stopping cows from eating plastics as that will be a bigger service.
Recalling his own work in the service of cow, he said at one health camp organised by him for the animal, at least two buckets full of plastic were removed from the stomach of one of them.