Foolish, says Cong on MP Cow Protection Board chief’s counterattack on cow deaths

Congress leader Jitu Patwari said it was foolish of Swami Akhileshwaranand Giri that he was blaming Digvijaya Singh for a decision in 2000 though the BJP has been i power for the past 18 years

BHOPAL: Madhya Pradesh Cow Protection Board president Swami Akhileshwaranand Giri on Wednesday responded to a barrage of criticism over the death of cows in the state in recent months with a counter-attack at former chief minister Digvijaya Singh, accusing him of allocating the traditional grazing grounds to party workers and the dissolution of 10 cow shelters in 2000.

Swami Akhileshwaranand Giri alleged that the then MPgovernment led by Digvijaya Singh in 2000 dissolved 10 cow shelters and gave the land to his supporters (HT File Photo)

“I have documentary proof. I am taking legal opinion and will soon file a petition in the court. Digvijaya Singh should be punished for the injustice to cows,” he said. When the cow protection board chief was asked when he waited 22 years to level the charge, he said he started digging for information only after Digvijaya Singh “started politicising” the death of cows.

“When Digvijaya Singh started politicising the matter of death of cows, I dug out and found out that he was responsible for poor condition of cows. There were ten cow shelters across 72,000 sq feet land near forest area in undivided MP but after dissolving it, the land was handed over to revenue department. We can’t take it back because the land has been handed over to private people. I have decided to drag Digvijaya Singh to court,” he said.

“If Swami wants to move to the court, he can go. I don’t even want to reply to this because BJP-led state government is left with no other option but to divert the issue. There is huge corruption in cow shelters being run by VHP and other organisations. BJP leader Shandilya received ₹1.7 crore in the past 4-5 years for cows and due to corruption, we can see the poor state of cows,” Singh said, adding that it was only the Kamal Nath government, which was in power for 15 months from December 2018, that increased the budgetary allocation for cow fodder.

“During the regime of Kamal Nath government, the budget for cow fodder increased to ₹20 crore but the BJP-led state government is not even giving it,” he added.

Digvijaya Singh’s party, the Congress also kept up the attacks on the ruling BJP.

Former minister and Congress MLA Jitu Patwari said, “In the past five years, 5,577 cows were killed in MP due to failure of policy. The BJP government has done nothing for protection and conservation of cows. We will expose the fake claims and real deeds of the state government.”

Patwar continued: “It is very foolish that BJP has been in power for the past 18 years and the cow protection board president is trying to blame Digvijaya Singhji for the poor state of cow. BJP leaders have done only politics in the name of cows, nothing else. A committee led by former minister and Congress MLA PC Sharma has been formed to check the working of cow shelters.”