Over 1 lakh kg beef seized in Gujarat in 2018-19; Congress slams govt

Over 1 lakh kg beef had been seized from Gujarat in the last two years, the Legislative Assembly was told on Monday, prompting the opposition Congress to question the efficacy of the amended cow slaughter law that was brought in the year 2017.

The amended Gujarat Animal Preservation Act hands life imprisonment as the maximum punishment for slaughtering the cow and its progeny.

During Question Hour, state Home Department stated that 1,00,490 kgs of beef had been seized from different parts of the state in the years 2018 and 2019.

With the recovery of 55,162 kg of beef Surat topped the list, followed by Ahmedabad (18,345 kgs) and Dahod (5,934 kgs).

Responding to questions raised by Congress MLAs about the issue, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, who also handles Home portfolio, told the House that 3,462 cows and its progeny, such as bullocks and calves, were recovered alive from the accused.

Senior Congress MLA Shailesh Parmar said the BJP government was doing only politics in the name of cows.

"It appears that the (2017) law is not implemented effectively. That is the reason why over 1 lakh kgs of beef had been seized in the last two years. You are doing only politics in the name of cows," said Parmar.

He said a vehicle impounded recently for transporting beef belonged to a BJP leader, as it carried a sticker of the party symbol.

At this, Minister of State for Home Pradeepsinh Jadeja said the Opposition was doing politics of appeasement.

"It's painful that politics of appeasement is being done over this issue. Do you want to save the accused? Are you with cows or those who slaughter them? That BJP sticker on the vehicle was a conspiracy to defame the party," he said.

Congress MLA and Leader of Opposition Paresh Dhanani said India has become the number one country in exporting meat under the BJP rule at the Centre even as cows are dying in shelters due to starvation.

"Seizure of 1 lakh kg beef shows there are loopholes in the implementation of the (2017) law," he said.

Jadeja assured the House that the BJP government was committed to stop slaughter of cows. P