New Delhi: The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) on Wednesday objected to the “insistence” of a section of the Muslim community on cow slaughter during Eid-ul-Azha and said religious sentiments of the Hindu community should be respected to ensure peaceful co-existence in the society.VHP central joint general secretary Surendra Jain said the Hindu community worships the cow as “Mother Cow” and alleged that repeated arguments in support of cow slaughter hurt Hindu sentiments.Jain said, “Hindu society worships cow as a mother. Despite this, this kind of insistence continues to be very unfortunate. Every day new arguments are being given to justify cow slaughter and this is hurting the sentiments of Hindu society.”He also objected to the arguments seeking to declare the cow as the “national animal” and claimed that referring to “Mother Cow” as merely an animal is an insult to the sentiments of Hindus.He said, “Calling mother cow just an animal is an insult to the sentiments of mother cow and Hindu society. The attitude towards the symbols associated with the nation and Sanatan traditions is well known.”Referring to past incidents, Jain cited the cattle slaughter rules of 2017 and alleged that after the implementation of the rules, cows are openly slaughtered in some states.He said, “When rules were made in 2017 to regulate animal slaughter, it also included cows. In some states where governments were supportive, cows were reportedly slaughtered openly. The demonstrations that took place were extremely unfortunate and condemnable.”The VHP leader said anti-cow slaughter laws are in place in more than half of the country and added that the Hindu community will not tolerate cow slaughter.He said, “Hindu society will not tolerate cow slaughter at any cost. People should understand the sentiments associated with mother cow and respect the laws already in force in large parts of the country.”Citing history, Jain claimed that the rebellion of 1857 was also related to the protection of cows.He said, “Hindu society had fought to protect mother cow even during the revolution of 1857. The society can go to any extent to protect its faith and belief.”He also stressed the need for mutual respect between communities. Jain said, “If peaceful coexistence is to be maintained in the society, then every community must learn to respect the religious beliefs and sentiments of others.”