PANJIM: Contesting BJP National President Amit Shah’s claim that cow slaughter ban in Goa was imposed by Congress in 1976, the Congress on Tuesday said that it was not in power in Goa during that period when the cow slaughter ban was imposed, but the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP), which is now in coalition with BJP-led government.
All India Congress Committee (AICC) secretary Girish Chodankar demanded that the Central government should come out with a national policy on beef ban.
Chodankar called as blatant lies Amit Shah’s statement, during his two-day Goa visit, that beef ban existed in Goa since 1976 and more lynching happened during Congress regime in India, especially from 2011-12.
He recalled that the Goa, Daman and Diu Prevention of Cow Slaughter Act 1978 was passed on June 21, 1978 when MGP was ruling the State while Congress came to power only in 1980.
“The Act related to cow slaughter and not to ban beef. Goa is the first state to enact such legislation at a time when BJP did not even exist as political force in this country,” he commented.
“And the same MGP is now part of the BJP-led coalition government under Manohar Parrikar,” AICC leader pointed out.
Chodankar demanded a national policy on beef ban as “the current Central government’s policy changes from State to State.”
Admitting that there were incidents of lynching during Congress rule, Chodankar alleged that the people involved in the incidents belonged to either the Sangh Parivar or the BJP.
“It was the current Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) and Amit Shah, who were involved in making provocative speeches during that time,” he charged.
He claimed that the incidents lynching since 2010 were hardly three percent of what occurred during the three years of BJP rule — since 2014, 28 people died in the lynching incidents.
Chodankar dared Union Home Minister to release the official data of lynching incidents since 2010 till date.
He slammed State BJP unit for its claim that the people who attended Shah’s public meeting at Dabolim airport premises were ‘spontaneously’, questioning how a dais was erected and chairs and podium were arranged without any planning.
