Bhopal mayor’s cow crematorium announcement politically motivated, says Congress

BHOPAL: A day after Bhopal mayor Alok Sharma announced building a crematorium for cows, state Congress retaliated on Friday saying this was an attempt to garner votes with an emotive issue before the Lok Sabha elections. State Congress media committee chairperson Shobha Oza said, “The BJP has very little to do with cow-protection of Ram temple construction. These issues have been repeatedly used to get votes and retain political power.”


On Thursday, mayor Alok Sharma had said that a “Gau Mukti Dham (cow crematorium)” would be constructed to cremate cows that die unnatural and untimely death. Reacting to this announcement, Shobha Oza on Friday said, “Alok Sharma’s statement depicts the BJP’s mentality of using cows, caste and religion for electoral benefit.”

Shobha Oza said that the mayor has been reminded of cows after the Congress in its recent assembly elections manifesto promised to construct a cow-shelter in every village panchayat. “Ever since the Congress manifesto declared construction of cow-shelters that the BJP has become defensive and flustered. Their intention has never been to either protect of save the bovine family, but to take political mileage from it,” she said.

The Congress media cell chief claimed that during BJP rule, Congress Muslim MLA Arif Aqueel had brought a private member bill in the assembly demanding respectful cremation of cows after death but got no support from legislators of the ruling party. “Not a single BJP MLA supported the private member bill. The BJP adorns one character when it is in power and another one when it is out of power,” she said.

She argued that when the BJP has no issues, then it raises matters relating to cows, temple construction and starts debates on caste of Bajrangbali (Lord Hanumana). “When a matter as serious as cows being buried within the Rewa Municipal Corporation premises came to light earlier this year, then local BJP leaders left no stones unturned to ensure a cover-up,” she alleged. “Alok Sharma’s announcement is politically motivated. But he is forgetting that the dual character of BJP leaders has been exposed to the people of the state.”