Amid rising cases of mob lynching and cow vigilantism, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday said that humans are important but so are cows. "Humans are important and cows are also important. Both have their own roles in nature. Everyone should be protected," he said.

The CM also added that the government will provide protection to everyone, but added that it is the responsibility of 'every individual, every community and every religion' to respect each others sentiments. 

Blaming Congress for giving undue importance to lynching cases, Adityanath recalled the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. "These incidents are given unnecessary importance. If you talk about mob lynching, what was 1984? Law and order is a matter of state. Congress' intention to make mountain out of a molehill won't be successful," he said.

He also hit out at Congress President Rahul Gandhi and dubbed his act of hugging Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Parliament as 'childish'. "The entire nation has already rejected Rahul Gandhi's childish acts. The no-confidence motion has exposed Congress. The statements and acts of opposition during the motion were immature and reveal their actual personality," Adityanath said.

Last year, Adityanath had ordered a crackdown on illegal slaughterhouses in Uttar Pradesh. He had said that the protection of cows was "very important" for state government as well as the BJP government at the Centre. He had said that the rural economy was centred around cows, and hence the government will be taking steps to encourage cow protection.

Speaking on cow vigilantism, he had earlier said that no action should be taken against any innocent person. "I feel the government is doing its work and no one should take law in their hand… We want to assure that there would be no action against any innocent person but the state government will not spare any criminal or mafia," Adityanath had said.