Bangalore: The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Monday held rallies across Karnataka
demanding early presidential nod to a bill banning cow slaughter
in the state.
The bill, passed by both the houses of the state legislature, has
been sent by Governor H.R. Bhardwaj to President Pratibha Patil
for a decision as the Congress, Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) and
several organizations, particularly Dalit bodies, have opposed the
move.
Former BJP president M. Venkaiah Naidu, South Bangalore Lok Sabha
member H.N. Ananth Kumar and state BJP chief K.S. Eshwarappa led
the rally in Bangalore.
Naidu, a Rajya Sabha member from Karnataka, flayed the governor
for not giving assent to the bill and forwarding it to the
president.
He said the delay in the nod for the bill was because of Congress
"playing vote bank politics to appease the minorities".
Eshwarappa and Ananth Kumar also criticized the governor for not
giving assent to the bill.
They said the BJP campaign for early presidential assent will
continue.
The party organised rallies and public meetings in all the 30
districts of the state.
The Congress, the JD-S, several Dalit organizations and several
writers, including Jananpith award winner U.R. Anantha Murthy,
have opposed the bill saying it was an attack on the food habits
of a section of people.
Delegations of the Congress and the JD-S have met Patil in New
Delhi and urged her not to okay the bill.
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