BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi accused the Congress-led Central government of promoting meat export and cow slaughter.
Could those who worshipped the cow support this, Mr. Modi wondered at a rally here, making a pitch for the crucial Yadav votes in Bihar.
Yadavs, traditionally a cattle-rearing community, and Muslims have a strong political bonding that makes up the core support base of the Rashtriya Janata Dal in Bihar and the Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh.
In references that could drive a wedge between Yadavs and Muslims, Mr. Modi wanted the people to ask SP chief Mulayam Singh and RJD president Lalu Prasad whether they supported the Congress and the “pink revolution,” alleging a major expansion of the meat industry.
He alleged that due to the proliferation of slaughter houses, cattle were being stolen from villages.
Mr. Modi spoke on similar lines in Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday, introducing the new theme — “pink revolution” — into his election campaign.
Mr. Modi said he had heard of the green revolution and the white revolution. But the Congress lost interest in them, and instead was spearheading, what he called, the pink revolution.
“There is no subsidy for farmers or for rearing cattle, but the Congress gives subsidy to those who slaughter cows.”
