Karnataka Food and Civil Supplies Minister UT Khader, who had come under fire for his alleged silence over repeated cow thefts at Kairangala in Dakshina Kannada, said that the Congress would support a ban on cow slaughter if the Centre implemented one.
“If the BJP was really concerned about cows, let the NDA government at the Centre ban cow slaughter across the country and stop beef export . We will also support such a move”, he said speaking to The Hindu.
He also demanded that a special team be set up to investigate the theft of a cow at Amrutadhara Goshala at Kairangala.
The president of the Goshala TG Rajaram Bhat has been on a fast demanding action against the cow thieves ever since the theft took place in the first week of April. He has now been admitted to the hospital after health concerns emerged.
The protest was supported by various Sangh Parivar outfits and Ramachandrapura Mutt seer Raghaveshwara Bharathi Swamiji.
UT Khader also did not take kindly to RSS leader Kalladka Prabhakar Bhat’s reported statement that temples visited by Khader should be ‘cleansed’ as the latter ate beef. "Inviting me to the programme was the decision of the temple administration. Several people invite me to temples and such statements by Kalladka Bhat are not in good taste. Hindus have given me moral support. I respect all religions. This nature of mine has not come through politics. I have been like this since childhood," Khader added as per Daijiworld.
He also expressed confidence that the Congress would once again dominate seats in Dakshina Kannada. While BJP has traditionally done well in the region, the Congress humiliated the BJP in the district in 2013 winning seven out of eight seats.