Former Karnataka chief minister Basavaraj Bommai on Sunday took strong exception to animal husbandry and veterinary sciences minister K Venkatesh’s statement on the anti-cow slaughter law. Hinting at the possibility of reviewing the anti-cattle slaughter act enacted by the previous BJP government in the state, Venkatesh had said on Saturday, “if buffaloes can be slaughtered, then why not cows.”
Condemning the statement, Bommai said in a series of tweets that Indians are emotionally connected with cows and worship them as a mother. “Animal husbandry minister K Venkatesh’s statement is shocking. We condemn his statement. We Indians have an emotional connection with the cow and worship them as mother,” Bommai said.
Wondering whom Venkatesh wanted to please, the BJP leader sought to know whether the statement was made to change his portfolio or to please the Congress high command.
“Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi was the first to advocate the ban on cow slaughter. A ban on cow slaughter advocated by venerable Mahatma Gandhi was enacted in several states in the 1960s,” the BJP leader said.
According to Bommai, the minister’s statement would give rise to “large-scale smuggling of cows and mass slaughtering factories in the state”.
Venkatesh had argued that the Karnataka Prevention of Slaughter and Preservation of Cattle Act, 2020, which was brought into force by the previous BJP government in 2021, had permitted slaughter of buffaloes above the age of 13, but not cows.
The minister said farmers were struggling to maintain aged cattle and dispose of the dead. He also claimed to have himself faced difficulty in disposing of one of the cows that died at his farmhouse recently. Changes in the law were necessary in the interest of farmers, Venkatesh said.
The Karnataka Prevention of Cow Slaughter and Preservation of Cattle (Amendment) Bill, 2020, passed in the state legislature by the BJP government led by BS Yediyurappa in 2021. The 2020 legislation had replaced the earlier Karnataka Prevention of Cow Slaughter and Cattle Preservation Act, 1964, which had less stringent provisions.
The law makes it illegal to buy, sell, transport, slaughter, trade all cattle (cows, bulls, buffaloes, oxen). The only exceptions are for buffaloes above the age of 13 and terminally ill cattle, but only after certification from a veterinarian.
Those found guilty will be imprisoned for up to 3-7 years, along with a penalty ranging from ₹50,000 to ₹5 lakhs. Subsequent offences would be jailed for seven years and a fine of ₹1 lakh to ₹10 lakhs would be levied.
When the bill was passed in the Karnataka assembly by the BJP government back in December 2020, Congress had staged a walkout in protest from the Vidhana Soudha.
In addition to Bommai, BJP state general secretary N Ravikumar also slammed Venkatesh’s statement on Sunday. “The BJP strongly condemns this. It was the Congress party which introduced this first in 1948 and 1964. There was no BJP government then.”
“Now, animal husbandry minister Venkatesh said in Mysuru yesterday that they would revoke the ban on cow slaughter. If this happens, I would like to warn the Congress government that there would be strong opposition and protests by the BJP in the coming days,” he added.
