Karnataka polls: BJP's promise to ban cow slaughter makes a comeback

A law to prohibit cow slaughter has made a comeback to propel the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Hindutva push ahead of Karnataka Assembly Elections 2018. Leader of opposition in Karnataka Legislative Council, K S Eshwarappa on Monday said that a bill banning cow slaughter will be the first to be passed by BJP government when it comes to power.

"Our government had banned cow slaughter but Siddaramaiah revoked it and allowed cow slaughter. We will come to power and assure that the first bill we pass will be prohibition of cow slaughter," K S Eshwarappa said. Cow slaughter as a theme featured prominently in a tableau which is part of the BJP's four-day Janasuraksha yatra.

While leaders of the BJP have been highlighting deaths of purported Hindu activists under the Siddaramaiah government, K S Eshwarappa raked up the cow slaughter issue a day before Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath is expected to address a gathering to mark the culmination of the Janasuraksha Yatra on Tuesday.

Interestingly, K S Eshwarappa shared stage with Udupi-Chikmagaluru MP Shobha Karandlaje who led Monday's Yatre. Eshwarappa, who was accused of engineering a rebellion against B S Yeddyurappa, reiterated the latter's position as BJP'S CM candidate.

"Siddaramaiah framing Hindus in Gauri Lankesh case"

Karandlaje who led the 5-km padayatra in Byndoor and Udupi alleged that the Siddaramaiah government is attempting to frame Hindu youths in slain journalist Gauri Lankesh case. "The government is unable to track down the murderers of Prof M M Kalburgi but is framing Hindu youth in Gauri Lankesh case," she said. The special investigation team probing the murder have taken a gun-runner into custody for questioning. The man identified as K T Naveen is said to be the founder of a pro-Hindu organisation.

The Janasuraksha rally- a two-pronged campaign against alleged killings of Hindu activists led by four MPs of the BJP- Shobha Karandlaje, Nalin Kumar Kateel, Pratap Simha and Anantkumar Hegde- in the communally sensitive coastal Karnataka and Kodagu is aimed at consolidating fragmented Hindu votes.

OneIndia News