Kerala assembly to debate new cattle law on June 8

Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala cabinet on Friday asked Governor P. Sathasivam to convene a special session of the state assembly on June 8 chiefly to discuss and debate the new rules by the Centre on cattle trade for slaughter that infringes on the states' rights.

The decision on the daylong assembly session was taken by the Pinarayi Vijayan cabinet after a meeting on Friday morning. 

The traditional rival parties in the assembly have already united to strongly oppose the new law and have condemned it as "nothing but an attempt to usurp the rights of the state government".

The daylong session is likely to see a resolution passed against the new central law on cattle trade. However, it would not get unanimously cleared as the lone BJP legislator O. Rajagopal was certain to oppose it.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Vijayan, who is determined to convene a meeting here of all chief ministers in the country, will take up this aspect with the central leadership of his party when he arrives in Delhi on June 5. 

Vijayan will be in the national capital to take part in the two-day politburo meeting of the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) on June 6 and 7.