Assam Assembly passes Cattle Preservation Bill, 2021; Opposition proposes 75 amendments

Amid uproar and massive protests, the Assam Assembly passed the Assam Cattle Preservation Bill 2021 on August 13, Friday. The bill prohibits the sale and purchase of beef in areas inhabited by non-beef-eating communities and within a radius of 5 km of a temple or a monastery in the state. After being turned down on demand for the select committee's intervention, the opposition staged a heavy protest and later walked out of the Assembly. "Cows are not endangered animals; why are laws being made for conservation?," asked AIUDF MLA Aminul Islam. He added that the cattle bill needs at least 75 amendments and should be handed over to a select committee.

While speaking to ANI, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said, "As the bill was passed today, henceforth, no slaughter or sale of beef can take place within a 5 km radius of any temple/monastery. Wherever there are non-beef-eating people-Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, even if Muslims are living, they will not consume beef". He further explained, saying, "There was an intervening period of 30 days. We were ready to consider amendments, but the opposition could not come up with proper facts. The Cattle Slaughter Prevention bill (passed today) is nothing but an improvement of what was done by Congress in the late 1950s".

Why did Assam government introduce the Bill?

Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma told ANI that most of the communal violence in the last five years happened due to beef consumption, and one must respect the sensitivity of the non-beef eating community. The state has now completely banned the transportation of cattle beyond a district. It can not go from one district to another district for slaughter, said. Notably, Assam's Governor, Jagdish Mukhi, first proposed implementing the Cattle Prevention Act in the state. Assam is one of the leading states in cow slaughter and cattle smuggling. Animals here are often transported to neighbouring Bangladesh via the states' border in the Karimganj, Dhubri, and Salmara areas of Assam. The smuggler also uses other routes of Meghalaya and West Bengal to transport cattle to slaughterhouses. Meanwhile, many BJP-ruled states have also imposed the same law in their respective states in the last five years.

Opposition's take

The opposition leaders in the Assam assembly created a huge uproar and a protest-like situation on Friday. The opposition leaders opposed the newly introduced bill, claimed it was biased, and stated that it needed at least 75 amendments. They even demanded to hand over the bill to the select committee of the Assam House. The opposition leaders, including Congress, AIUDF, and CPI (M), also walked out of the house after Speaker Biswajit Daimary passed the cattle bill amid the slogans of "Jai Shree Ram" and "Bharat Mata ki Jai".

The AIDUF legislator, Aminul Islam, opposed the cattle bill, saying Assam has around 1,09,09,327 cows, which means cows are not an endangered species and need no strict law for protection. He added that the law would cause harm to the poor people who rear cows and criticized the 5km rule in the bill and called it inappropriate.

Image Credit: PTI/ANI
(With ANI Inputs)