“We will hang those who kill cows,” Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh declared on Saturday, a day after BJP-ruled Gujarat passed a more stringent law, making cow slaughter punishable with a life term.
“Does such a thing happen in Chhattisgarh? I don’t think it has happened in the last 15 years (of BJP rule). If it happens, we will hang those who dare do it ( Marega to latka denge ),” Mr. Singh told reporters in Jagdalpur.
The Chief Minister was responding to queries from journalists on whether his government would, like that of Yogi Adityanath in U.P., take a tough stand on cow slaughter. Slaughter of cows, buffaloes, bulls, bullocks, and calves and possession of their meat is banned in Chhattisgarh. Transport, export of cattle to other States for slaughter is also banned. These offences attract the same punishment of seven years’ imprisonment and a fine up of to ₹50,000.
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‘Double standards’
AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi, meanwhile, has accused the BJP of “hypocrisy”. “In U.P., cow is mummy, and in the northeastern states, it’s yummy. This shows BJP’s hypocrisy. While they are talking about a beef ban in U.P., they have said there would be no such thing in the northeast.”
“Assembly elections are going to be held in three states in the northeast. Beef is easily available in (BJP-ruled) Goa. You tell me what is this,” he told a TV news channel. BJP Rajya Sabha member Subramanian Swamy said, “Article 48 says cow slaughter will be prohibited. Let him say he has no faith in some articles of the Constitution, then we will see,” he said.
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Meanwhile, Manipur CM N. Biren Singh also slammed Mr. Owaisi. “We worship cows, we preserve them. He cannot make observations about entire northeast,” he said.