Former Karnataka chief minister and senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah advocated for the repeal of the present cow protection law in the state, stating it has a ‘communal agenda’ and works against farmers’ interests.
The opposition leader said that there are no buyers for old and sick cows in response to Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot, who hailed the BJP-led government’s Karnataka Prevention of Slaughter and Preservation of Cattle Act of 2020.
Gehlot praised the BJP government’s programmes for farmers, the execution of the anti-cow slaughter law, and the cow adoption programmes during the governor’s address to the joint session of the Karnataka legislature on February 10. The law was widely criticised for negative impacting farmers’ incomes.
“The government asserts that the restriction on cattle slaughter has improved the ecosystem, but nothing has happened. If cattle were not producing, farmers would have sold them earlier, but that is not possible today.
In his statement on the motion of thanks to the Governor, Siddaramaiah stated that the livestock could not be sold because a lawsuit will be brought against the farmer.
The slaughter of cattle is prohibited under the Karnataka Prevention of Slaughter and Preservation of Cattle Act, 2020, including “cow, calf of a cow, bull, bullock, and he or she buffalo.”
Only animals over the age of 13 that have been authorized by a competent authority, animals utilized in research, animals that have been deemed fit for slaughter by a veterinarian in order to stop the spread of any disease, and sick animals are exempt from the law.
The 2020 law also imposes penalties for the illegal sale of meat, the acquisition or disposal of livestock for slaughter, and the transportation of cattle. The penalties vary from a three- to a five-year jail sentence and a fine of Rs 50,000 to Rs 5 lakh rupees.
“Milk production has decreased from 94 lakh litres per day to 76 lakh litres per day as a result of the cow slaughter bill. Farmers’ daily revenue has decreased by Rs 6.6 crore. Who is accountable? Those who are self-congratulating on the Cow Slaughter Bill must respond. The culprit here is the government. This is a result of the government’s negligence. Farmers are being harmed,” Siddaramaiah said.
