The battle-line may have been drawn in Karnataka between the BJP and the Congress on the issue of the anti-cow slaughter law passed by the BS Yediyurappa-led Government in 2021 with the incumbent Congress Government now asserting that it would revisit the law as the BJP workers on Monday took to the streets to protest the contemplated move.
Commenting on the Karnataka Prevention of Slaughter and Preservation of Cattle Act, which is also known as the anti-cow slaughter law, Karnataka Animal Husbandry Minister K Venkatesh said in Mysuru that the Congress Government would “revisit the law.”
Karnataka Animal Husbandry Minister also said, “If buffaloes can be slaughtered, why not cows.”
BJP workers on Monday took to streets in Bengaluru, Chikkaballapura, Mysuru, Davangere and other parts of the State against the Congress Government’s likely move to reverse that anti-cow slaughter ban in the State.
In Mysuru, the BJP workers raised slogans against the Congress Government for its decision to revisit the anti-cow slaughter law. They also held placards which read, “BJP demands the Congress Government to continue the anti-cow slaughter law.”
The Karnataka Minster’s argument was that the previous BJP Government had promulgated the law, which allowed slaughter of buffaloes.
Responding to a question on the difficulties faced by farmers in managing aged cows, the Minister shared his own example where he had to get an earthmover to bury his dead cow.
Around 20 out of 28 States in India had various laws regulating the act of slaughtered cow, prohibiting the slaughter or sale of cows.
Goa, Daman and Diu, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Pondicherry, Kerala, Arunachal and the other seven North-Eastern States and West Bengal are the regions where there are no restrictions on cow slaughter. Amid uproarious scenes with Opposition members tearing copies of the Bill and protesting in the Well of the House, the Karnataka Prevention of Slaughter and Preservation of Cattle Bill, 2020, was passed by voice vote in February 2021 in the Legislative Council when the BJP was led by the then Chief Minister Ydiyurappa.
This was even as the Opposition Congress and the Janata Dal (S), whose combined strength formed a majority in the House, demanded a division of vote in the state assembly.
The Congress move to ‘revisit’ anti-cow slaughter act could flare-up political debate ahead of the Lok Sabha polls which are barely 10-11 months away.
Several states in the country ,including Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, have very stringent anti-cow slaughter laws in place with the slaughter of cow, bull and bullocks is completely prohibited.