Left seeks repeal of ban on cattle sale for slaughter

'NDA imposing diet code at behest of Parivar'

The Left parties on Saturday vehemently opposed the order banning the sale of cattle for slaughter, saying the NDA government was trying to impose a ‘diet code’ on the country.

However, Maneka Gandhi, Union minister and longtime campaigner for animal rights, defended the move, saying it would put an end to the ill-treatment of animals. The Centre issued the notification on Friday.

In a statement, the CPM politbureau said the notification of the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, banning the sale of cattle for slaughter, was an “atrocious attempt” by the Modi government to give “legal cover for its wholly communal and divisive agenda to impose a diet code on the country”.

The party said the decision would destroy the livelihood of crores of farmers involved in animal husbandry, eliminate traditional cattle fairs, and put an unfair burden on farmers who will have to care for unproductive cattle.

“This further burdens the farmers who are increasingly resorting to distress suicides due to escalating input costs. It will also impact the leather industry and the meat export industry, affecting the livelihood of lakhs of people,” the CPM said.

The party said the notification also encroached on the rights of the states, under whose jurisdiction the matter falls. An equally critical CPI said the “unwise decision” had been taken at the behest of the Sangh Parivar.

It said poor peasants would be forced to abandon unproductive cattle as nobody sends milking cows and working cattle to slaughter houses.

The decision will create a cri­sis for peasants, affect the n­at­ional economy, fuel unemployment and deprive no­n-v­e­ge­ta­r­ians of food, it argued. “Forcible vegetarianism will do no good to the nation. CPI demands the rollback of the decision immediately,” it said.

Maneka defends order

Defending the decision, Maneka, who holds the women and child welfare portfolio, said, “What used to happen is that farmers would force 80 heads of cattle in vehicles suitable to carry eight or nine and then take them to animal markets and slaughter them. Farmers would also send ailing and unhealthy cattle for slaughter to these markets. The new rule will ensure such things don’t happen.”