States will have to obey national law banning cow slaughter, says BJP’s Subramanian Swamy

Mumbai city news: BJP legislator Subramanian Swamy, who was present at the meeting, said there was nothing in the legislation than can stop a ban on beef eating in India

Three cows were tied up at the entrance to the Bombay Stock Exchange on Sunday morning, as delegates attended a ‘National Conference on Indian cow’ on the building’s first floor.

On March 25, Swamy had introduced a Private Members’ Bill in the Rajya Sabha that seeks death penalty for those who slaughter cows. (HT File)

At the centre of the discussions, organised by Virat Hindustan Sangam, were the cattle and the need to protect them from the slaughter industry. Bharatiya Janata Party legislator, Subramanian Swamy, who was present at the meeting, said there was nothing in the legislation than can stop a ban on beef eating in India. “A national law banning cow slaughter can be enacted, and every state will have to obey,” he said.

On March 25, Swamy had introduced a Private Members’ Bill in the Rajya Sabha that seeks death penalty for those who slaughter cows. “Cows are considered purifiers in our tradition and are a fundamental part of our culture. People who live in India must accommodate its tradition in their life,” Swamy said at the talk, which was attended by over 200 people.

“Instead of slaughtering, we can make money by exporting cow milk. The money made by the famer by doing this, can be saved in a fixed deposit and used later to build a gaushala for old cattle which no longer yield milk,” said Swamy.

HT had earlier reported that the move will crimp supplies to country’s Rs1 lakh crore meat and allied industries, that source about 90% of their requirements from animal markets.

Meanwhile, Ahir Hansraj, union Minister of state for home, also present at the meet, proposed that there should be a national sanctuary for cow protection, just like there are for tigers. “Union minister Prakash Javadekar has already forwarded the file for this proposal,” he said.

Another topic widely discussed at the conference was the medicinal benefits of cow products, especially cow urine. Sunil Mansinghka, member of the animal welfare board, an advisory body to the government, claimed that research conducted by him at Go Vigyana Anusadhan Kendra in Nagpur has shown that concoction of cow dung, urine, milk, buttermilk and ghee can cure epilepsy.

Towards the end, a mobile application called ‘cow connect’ was launched, to connect cow lovers, shed owners protectors, researchers through their phones. “We should connect people with cows every day through this application,” said Govinda Das, a spiritualist.