Make cow rearing mandatory for contesting polls, demands BJP minister

Hardeep Singh Dang, the Minister for New and Renewable Energy and Environment in Madhya Pradesh government, has suggested making cow rearing mandatory for contesting elections.

The Bhartiya Janata Party minister has also proposed that a sum of Rs 500 should also be collected from the state government employees who are getting a monthly salary of more than Rs 25000 for the protection of cows.

He said that he is making these suggestions in his personal capacity and will submit this request with the Election Commission to ensure that all the sections of society contribute towards the protection of cows and laws.

Dang

Dang said that elected representatives should work for protecting cows as they are also a part of the society.

"I demand that the Election Commission (EC) make cow rearing mandatory for contesting elections. Forms of those candidates not involved in cow-rearing should be cancelled. I will write a letter to the EC in this regard," he said.

"Since cow rearing is practically not possible for the government staffers, so the monthly contribution of Rs 500 should be collected from the employees getting a salary of more than Rs 25,000 a month," he added.

Dang, a Member of Legislative Assembly from Mandsaur, asserted that he will appeal to his government to make laws about cow welfare in its state. He also said it should be made mandatory for people related to farming should necessarily rear cows.

BJP state chief, VD Sharma, supported the suggestions made by the minister.

Congress MLA Arif Masood said he backs Dang’s demand. “People used to rear cow as a common practice but many stopped it after a rise in lynchings. Ensure that there will be no lynching and people will start doing it again."

"They should implement the scheme started by Kamal Nath government of establishing 1,000 gaushalas across the state," he added.