Ahmedabad: Opposition Congress on Sunday dismissed Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi's claim that the ruling BJP government was solely responsible for bringing the law banning cow slaughter in the state.
"It was Congress government who first introduced the legislation for prohibiting cow slaughter in 1994," Leader of Opposition in Gujarat Assembly Shaktisinh Gohil said.
"Moreover the Congress and Keshubhai Patel governments had taken up cudgels in the High Court against people protesting the law. The Shankersinh Vaghela government had filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court to ban cow slaughter," he said.
Accusing Modi of a false propaganda that his government was instrumental in bringing the law, Gohil said that in fact the chief minister has given away 3.33 lakh hectares of grazing land to few favoured industrialists as a result of which farmers and cattle-rearers are forced to send their livestock to slaughter houses.
Modi while sharing dais with yoga guru Ramdev at a function here claimed that his government had fought four legal battles in the Supreme Court to bring the legislation protecting cows.
Criticising Modi for "false claims", Gohil challenged him for a public debate on the erstwhile NDA government's policy on cow slaughter and the one pursued by the UPA.
"The CM who is criticising Central government for slaughter houses should tell what changes UPA government has made in NDA government's policy. The fact is that the policy on cow slaughter is same today as it was during the NDA rule," he said.
The Gujarat Animal Preservation (Amended) Act, 2011, enacted by the state Assembly last year, imposed a total ban on slaughter of cow, transportation and sale of beef.
PTI
First Published: Sunday, July 29, 2012, 22:37