Goa beef traders urge CM Sawant to prevent Karnataka's anti-cattle slaughter bill from being notified

Goa's beef traders have requested Chief Minister Pramod Sawant to use his clout with the BJP and prevent Karnataka's 'Prevention of Slaughter and Preservation of Cattle Bill, 2020' from being notified.

Panaji (Goa): Goa's beef traders have urged Chief Minister Pramod Sawant to use his "good offices" with the BJP to prevent Karnataka's 'Prevention of Slaughter and Preservation of Cattle Bill, 2020' from being notified.

The bill was passed amid controversy in the Karnataka Assembly last week.

In a letter to Sawant, the Qureshi Meat Traders Association of Goa said that beef was a part of a staple diet in Goa's multi-cultural society and consumed by visiting tourists and if the law came into force in Karnataka, it would have a severe impact in the coastal state.

"...the Said Act, if notified would have an adverse impact on the farmers of the state of Karnataka, in as much as the farmers of Karnataka will not lose marketability of their old and nonperforming animals which they could have otherwise sold to the members of the undersigned Association," read the letter.

"In the circumstances, we turn to Your Good Offices to intercede for the State of Goa so that the Said Act is not notified, in as much as the State of Karnataka is ruled by a Bharatiya Janata Party-led government, viz. as in the State of Goa as well as in the Centre and we earnestly believe that in this time of crisis it is only Your Good Offices that can prevent the Said Act from being notified," it said.

The Karnataka Prevention of Slaughter and Preservation of Cattle Bill (2020) was passed in the Karnataka Assembly amid uproar and walkout by opposition parties, Congress and the JD(S).

Under this bill, three and seven years jail and (or) a fine up to Rs 5 lakh will be imposed. Subsequent offences can invite fines up to Rs 10 lakh and a jail term of up to seven years.

ANI