New Delhi: Pinarayi Vijayan, the Chief Minister of Kerala, has almost been landing one-two punches to BJP leaders since restrictions on cattle slaughter were announced last week.
On Saturday, Vijayan wrote to the Prime Minister slamming the move. He followed this up by claiming, in a press conference a day later, that people in his state did not need a “lesson on food habits from New Delhi or Nagpur (RSS headquarters)”.
Vijayan’s letter comes at a time when the Centre is reportedly considering removing buffaloes from the list of cattle on whose sale restrictions have recently been placed.
In his letter to Yogi Adityanath, Vijayan stated that the means through which the recent regulations were brought into force was “nothing but a covert attempt to usurp the powers of the state legislature”. This, he claimed, was a clear violation of the spirit of federalism, which is enshrined in the Constitution.
“It is rather unfortunate that such a drastic measure, producing serious consequences was introduced…surpassing the elected representatives of the people and avoiding any public debate.”
This move, Vijayan told his counterpart from Uttar Pradesh, would have “disastrous consequences” and result in a “chaotic” situation in the agricultural economy in all states.
Mamata Banerjee is the other Chief Minister who has publicly slammed the Centre for restricting the sale of cattle. "I am against any ban on cattle slaughter. It's unconstitutional. We will fight against it legally," Mamata said, calling the restrictions “unconstitutional”.
The recent restrictions on the sale of cattle have also resulted in protests in several parts of Tamil Nadu. The main opposition party DMK has threatened to launch an agitation against the Centre’s decision on May 31.
More drama was in store on the subject on Monday as Congress decided to suspend three Youth Congress workers, including its Kannur district president for allegedly slaughtering a calf in public.
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