KOLKATA: West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee has challenged the new legislation brought by Central government to implement ban on cattle slaughter.
In a press conference in Kolkata, West Bengal CM said that the Centre’s move is unconstitutional. She said that West Bengal will neither accept it nor are they bound by it. Mamata said it is a move by Modi government to demoralize and destroy the federal structure of the county. She branded it as direct encroachment to federal structure.
According to Mamata Banerjee, it is unnecessarily bulldozing and imposing of Centre’s writ on the state. Mamata Banerjee said that the law is very clear as per constitution and the Centre has no right to dictate terms to states with respect to List 2 of Seventh Schedule. She said that they will challenge the law constitutionally.
Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Harsh Vardhan on Saturday said the ministry has notified the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Regulation of Livestock Markets) Rules, 2017 to ensure that the sale of cattle is not meant for slaughter purposes.
“Aim of the rules is very specific. It is only to regulate the animal market and the sale of cattle in these markets, and ensuring welfare of cattle dealt in market. And the rule provides for a strict animal monitoring committee and an animal market committee at the local level,” Vardhan told ANI. He said the seller and buyer both have to ensure that the cattle is not been bought or sold in the market for slaughter purposes.
“An undertaking to this effect has to be given to the member secretary of the animal market committee from the seller as well as the buyer,” Vardhan added. As per the notification, cattle is defined as, “bulls, bullocks, cows, buffalos, steers, heifers and calves and camels”. The rules also state that the purchaser shall not sacrifice the animal for any religious purpose, or sell it to a person outside the state without permission and must keep in with the state’s cattle protection laws.
