Karnataka Government to Withdraw Controversial Cow Slaughter Ban Amendment: Animal Welfare Minister K. Venkatesh

Bengaluru: The Karnataka government may withdraw the amendment to the cow slaughter ban. In 2020, the amendment brought by the BJP government was widely criticized as anti-farmer. Karnataka Animal Welfare Minister K. Venkatesh asked if bulls can be taken to slaughterhouses and killed, what is the problem in killing cows?

The minister hinted at the withdrawal of the amendment at a press conference in Mysore. The minister said that farmers are struggling even to bury old cows and dead cows. The minister informed that the move is in the interests of the farmers of the state.

The amendment brought by the BJP government in 2020 states that only bulls that have completed 13 years of age or are seriously ill can be killed for meat. Selling, buying and transporting cows and bulls to another place was prohibited by law. Violators of the law are subject to imprisonment of up to 5-7 years and a fine of up to Rs 5 lakh. The law came into effect in January 2021.

When the amendment was introduced, Congress, which was then in opposition, strongly opposed it. During the assembly election campaign, the Congress had promised to amend all the anti-people laws introduced by the BJP government. The current move is also based on that.

English Summary: What’s wrong in slaughtering cows, asks Karnataka minister K Venkatesh