C.M. Ibrahim, former Union Minister and Congress MLC has said he would support the anti-cow slaughter law. He told journalists in Hubballi on Sunday that he would appeal to the Muslim community to stop eating beef.
“I support the ban on cow slaughter. I will also request Muslim community members not to consume beef. But I have other problems with the Act. It does not have provisions to care for cows that are old or have stopped producing milk. Farmers are forced to sell such cows as they get at least half of their original price. That would help them buy new cows. But this law does not envision that,” he said. “I would request the State government to open cow shelters in each gram panchayat to take care of old, sick and unproductive cattle,” he said. He urged the government to set up a machinery to buy old cattle from farmers at reasonable prices.
However, there is speculation that he plans to quit the Congress to join the JD(S). He evaded questions on his quitting the Congress and said that he would work for the two parties - Congress and JD(S) to come together in a stronger alliance, like in the olden days. “There is no point talking about the divorce of two parties. We are exploring possibilities of a remarriage,” he said.
He said he was opposed to forced conversions in case of marriages, but would not support a law against the so called ‘Love Jihad’. “We should respect the rights of consenting adults. The government should not interfere with such issues. It should focus on development instead,” he said