BENGALURU: Wearing the saffron shawl around their necks, BJP lawmakers on Wednesday had a field day shouting ‘Gau mata ki jai’ within the assembly as the government passed the ‘controversial’ Livestock Killing Prevention and Preservation Act 2020 amid the din and protests of Congress and JD (S).
Popularly known as the bill against the slaughter of cows, has been reintroduced by the BJP government after its previous 2010 law, which was passed by the same government of BS Yediyurappa, was repealed by the Siddaramaiah government in 2014.
The bill prohibits the slaughter of cattle in the state, restricts the transportation of cattle in and out of the state without a license, and prohibits the sale, purchase, or disposition of cattle for slaughter.
Although the intent and the bill may be the same in its core goals, the 2020 bill is much stricter in terms of its penal clause compared to the decade-long law that was passed by the then BJP government. .
While the 2010 law had prescribed a fine of Rs 25,000 to Rs 1 lakh, depending on the severity of the offense, the 2020 Bill speaks of a minimum fine of Rs 50,000 and up to Rs 5 lakhs.
The prison sentence has also been increased from a minimum of one year to seven years in 2010 and increased to a minimum of three years and up to seven years depending on the severity of the crime.
However, the 2020 bill has made the crime recognizable but bailable versus the 2010 law, which was recognizable and not bailable.
Earlier, the introduction of the bill caused a scandal in the assembly, as opposition parties were surprised by the government’s decision to present it late at night.
As opposition lawmakers raised slogans against the BJP government, opposition leader Siddaramaiah urged the government to consider the bill for discussion on Thursday, the last day of the truncated winter session.
“With copies of the bill delivered at the last minute and without having had time to read the content, I ask the government and the presidency to address the issue for discussion on Thursday,” said Siddaramaiah.
While it emerged that Justice Minister JC Madhuswamy was ready to address the debate on Thursday, he was pressured by lawmakers and ministers from the BJP to introduce the bill and pass it on Wednesday night.
“While I am ready for the bill to be discussed on Thursday, I cannot go against the wishes of my party and government,” Madhuswamy was heard telling JD (S) Congress and lawmakers.
Prime Minister BS Yediyurappa, who intervened on the matter, added that the bill was due to pass on Wednesday as it was due to go to the upper house for approval on Thursday.
However, Congress and JD (S) continued to protest the government’s decision and Siddaramaiah even found fault with the BJP using the Spokesman’s office as its own “party office”.
“It seems that the government regards the office of the president as its own party office. We condone the decision of the government and the president to allow the bill to pass in such an undemocratic way and we boycott the session, ”said Siddaramaiah, before withdrawing.
The JD (S), led by their deputy leader HK Kumaraswamy, also held a march.
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