Daijiworld Media Network – Udupi (SP)
Udupi, Mar 14: State home minister, Dr V S Acharya, said that the state government has been planning to enact anti cow slaughter ban as per the constitutional obligation, and not to appease or anger any groups. He was speaking after inaugurating the newly formed Udupi District Meat Sellers Association here on Saturday March 13.
The state government, which withdrew the ammendment bill it had introduced in the assembly to the existing Anti Cow Slaughter Act, had later introduced the Karnataka Prevention of Slaughter and Preservation of Cattle Bill in its place. Acharya said that as per the wishes of Dr Ambedkar, slaughter of cows and other bovine animals has been banned in the constitution.
“To honour the wishes of the majority of people, and as per the election manifesto to which the BJP had committed itself before the last election, and taking into consideration certain legal points which were upheld by the High Courts and the Supreme Court in such cases in North India in the past, this bill has been introduced,” he explained. He insisted that the main aim of the government is to ensure that law and order prevails in the state. “We neither want to appease certain sections, nor antagonize others,” he asserted.
He promised that the government will, within the available legal parameters, extend all possible help to the newly set up meat sellers association. “If necessary, the municipality will hold talks with the Association,” he added. In his address, MP D V Sadanand Gowda said that the non-vegetarians always wish that good quality meat is available. He asked the government to provide basic facilities to the meat sellers and to remove legal hurdles faced by lacs of people who eke out a living through animal husbandry.
MLAs, Lalaji Mendon, Gopal Bhandary, district BJP president, Udaykumar Shetty, Udupi Urban Development Authority chairman, B Sudhakar Shetty, Gujjady Prabhakar Nayak, entrepreneur, Pramod Madhwaraj, youth Congress secretary, Amrit Shenoy, municipal councillor, Geeta Ravi Shet, advocate Mattar Ratnakar Hegde etc., were present.