Siddaramaiah To Discuss Anti-Cow Slaughter Law In Cabinet Meeting

Amidst widespread protests triggered by a statement made by a Karnataka minister calling for a review of the stringent anti-cow slaughter law, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said that the matter would be deliberated upon during an upcoming cabinet meeting.

Siddaramaiah expressed concerns about the lack of clarity in the law implemented by the previous BJP government and affirmed that the state government would hold discussions regarding the issue in the cabinet meeting.

However, he clarified that no decision had been made thus far. "We will discuss it in the Cabinet. We have not decided anything yet," Siddaramaiah stated.

Earlier, K Venkatesh, the Animal Husbandry Minister of Karnataka, stirred controversy with his statement questioning why buffaloes could be slaughtered while cows were protected. "The previous BJP government introduced a bill allowing the slaughter of buffaloes but prohibited cow slaughter. We will discuss and make a decision," he told the media.

Venkatesh also suggested that slaughtering aged cows could assist farmers in managing cattle-related challenges.

The BJP organized statewide protests over the past two days in response to the minister's statement.

Former Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai condemned Venkatesh's remarks in a series of tweets and urged Siddaramaiah to offer appropriate advice to his colleague. "Animal Husbandry Minister K Venkatesh's statement is shocking. We condemn his statement. We Indians have an emotional connection with cows and revere them as mother figures," Bommai expressed.

BJP MLA Ashwath Narayan remarked, "There's no good reason for Congress to repeal the cow slaughter bill. Congress is going against the sentiment of Hindus. They are trying to disturb communal harmony. They want unrest."

The Karnataka Prevention of Slaughter and Preservation of Cattle Act enforces a complete ban on cattle slaughter in the state. The only exceptions are terminally-ill cattle and buffaloes above the age of 13, which may be slaughtered.