D K Shivakumar demands policy over ban on cow slaughter

Bengaluru, Dec 8: Taking strong exceptions to the ruling BJP’s plan to table a bill on cow slaughter ban in the on-going legislature session, Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president D. K. Shivakumar on Monday demanded the BJP to come out with a firm policy on banning cow slaughter across the country.

Speaking to reporters, Shivakumar said that BJP rakes up the issue of cow slaughter only in those states where it benefits them politically and remains silent on other states where they want to benefit politically again by turning deaf and blind too.

“The Congress does not see it as an emotional issue or political issue. We approach this issue with the same temperament irrespective of states where we benefit politically or not,” he said.

He quickly added that why the BJP leaders are silent on beef export and India is the biggest exporter of this meat to the world.

“For them beef export and cow slaughter becomes only an election issue and nothing more. If the BJP is truly committed to its ideology, let the BJP government at the Centre as well as in states it should come out clean on this matter,” he said.

To a question on the anti-cow slaughter bill, which the BJP wanted to table in the ongoing assembly session, Shivakumar said that no need to bring fresh laws as such because an anti-cow slaughter law is already in place in the state.

Meanwhile, he also announced that the KPCC will soon launch a letter drive against “controversial” farm and labour laws in support of farmers and labourers.

Announcing its full support to the six-hour country-wide shutdown “Bharat Bandh” by various farmers’ associations on Tuesday, Shivakumar added that letters with signatures of farmers and labourers will be sent to the President of India asking him not to approve these contentious laws.

He said that the Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi had directed the party workers to gather the opinion of the farmers and labourers by way of signature on the letter.

“On the directions of our party president Sonia Gandhi, we are going to provide 8.8 lakh letters to the farmers and labourers who will sign on it and send it to the President of India,” he claimed.