'What is wrong with slaughtering cows?' asks Karnataka minister; shocking statement, says Bommai

K Venkatesh, Karnataka's Minister of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Sciences, on Saturday said that if buffaloes can be slaughtered, what is wrong with slaughtering cows? For context, the Minister was referring to the challenges faced by farmers with maintaining old animals and disposing of the dead.

In 2021, the BJP government passed a bill banning the slaughtering of cows. However, the Congress government is considering amending the stringent law.  According to an India Today report, Venkatesh said that the bill's amendment will benefit the state's farmers. "If one can slaughter buffaloes and bulls, what is wrong with slaughtering cows?" 

The Karnataka Prevention of Slaughter and Preservation of Cattle Act, which was brought into force by the BJP government in 2021, has imposed a blanket ban on the slaughter of cattle in the state. The only slaughter allowed is of terminally-ill cattle and buffaloes aged above 13 years. Congress, then in opposition, had opposed this legislation.

Under the law, slaughtering of cattle can lead to imprisonment of up to 3-7 years, with a penalty ranging from Rs 50,000 to Rs 5 lakhs. Repeat offenders would be jailed for seven years and a fine of Rs 1 lakh to Rs 10 lakh would be levied.

Meanwhile, former Karnataka chief minister and BJP leader Basavaraj Bommai on Sunday took strong exception to Animal Husbandry Minister K Venkatesh's statement that if buffaloes can be slaughtered, then why not cows? Condemning the statement, Bommai in a series of tweets said 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.

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