Overview

• On August 3–4, Shankaracharya Avimukteshwaranand demanded a live cow be brought into the new Parliament building to bestow blessings alongside the Sengol sceptre’s cow engraving.
• He urged the Maharashtra government to establish formal cow-felicitation protocols with specified penalties, but no guidelines have been issued to date.
• The pontiff proposed 4,123 'Ramadham' shelters—one in each assembly constituency housing 100 cows to protect indigenous breeds—but none of the sites have been approved.
• He promised Rs 2 lakh per month to anyone caring for 100 cows under the proposed protocol, yet government bodies have not disbursed any subsidies.
• He called on voters to back only those candidates who endorse a complete ban on cow slaughter and legislate enhanced cow protection nationwide.