AAP resolution suggesting culling of foreign breed cows fizzles out
Shiromani Akali Dal-Bharatiya Janata Party (SAD-BJP) alliance objected the resolution, saying the government should come up with alternative ways to stop animals from straying and causing damage to human lives and property.
A non-official resolution by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) suggesting the Punjab government to send foreign breed cows and bulls like American and Holstein-Friesian be sent to slaughterhouses for culling to deal with the stray cattle menace failed to reach any conclusion.
Party MLA Aman Arora introduced the resolution on the fifth day of the ongoing budget session of the assembly. Even as his party colleagues Kultar Singh Sandhwan and Baljinder Kaur supported the move, members of the ruling Congress and the Shiromani Akali Dal-Bharatiya Janata Party (SAD-BJP) alliance objected to it, saying the government should come up with alternative ways to stop animals from straying and causing damage to human lives and property.
“The state government should take care of indigenous breed of cows in cattle pounds and send the strays of American and HF breeds to slaughterhouses so as to protect the life, property of people and their crops. It will put an end to the miseries of these animals that often feed on plastic waste at garbage dumping sites and eventually die,” Arora said reading out the resolution.
He said there are 2.5 lakh stray cattle in Punjab, of which 20% are of desi breeds while the rest are of American and HF breeds that cause 150 human deaths and damage of ₹200 crore to crops every year.
“We can’t even think of cows and bulls getting killed even if they are American breed,” said BJP MLA Arun Narang, adding that during the Akali-BJP government gaushalas were built in all districts of the state. Supporting him, Congress’s Kushaldeep Singh Dhillon and SAD’s Sukhwinder Sukhi said the resolution was not in the right spirit and shouldn’t be allowed to be passed as it’s illegal to send animals to slaughterhouses. SAD’s NK Sharma criticised the AAP move, saying culling of cows and bulls irrespective of their breed was against Hindu religious beliefs.
Cabinet minister Charanjeet Singh Channi supported the resolution terming it as crucial for the state. “The resolution is being discussed in the House for many years but was never approved. The AAP should come up with an amended version of it and the House should pass it,” he said.
“It is better if suggestion of sending stray cows of a particular breed to slaughterhouses is deleted in the resolution,” suggested Channi. Arora agreed to his suggestion.
“The government should fix a deadline to end the stray cattle menace,” he added.
This led to a din in the House that was adjourned for the day.
