Bhopal, January 5: The Madhya Pradesh government is likely to make amendments in its cow protection law and abandoning the animal can now be a criminal offence. The state is considering the move to ensure that the cow owners continue to take care of the animal beyond its production years.
The animal husbandry department is mulling to make amendments in the state’s 2004 law against cow slaughter to empower the district administration to register a complaint against the cow owner for abandoning livestock, NDTV reported.
A draft of the recommendations has been sent to law department. “This is being taken seriously. The government has enacted law to serve Gaumata, but the owners should also think. We are discussing the provisions of the law,” the state’s Law Minister Rampal Singh said.
The opposition Congress alleged that the move has been made in view of the upcoming state Assembly elections. “Mr Shivraj Singh Chouhan has a knack of diffusing things in perspective. He is trying to push this agenda before the assembly elections as if this is the last word in protection of cows. Unfortunately this will be counterproductive as the government is harming interest of farmers,” Ajay Singh, the Leader of the Opposition in the state assembly said.
The state law minister has rubbished the accusation and said, “The agenda of the whole country is the service of Gaumata.”