Karnataka cow slaughter row: Will discuss it in cabinet, says CM Siddaramaiah

Siddaramaiah said there already existed a Karnataka Prevention of Cow Slaughter and Cattle Preservation Act, 1964 but it lacked clarity due to which an amendment was brought.

Davangere:Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said on Monday said the anti-cow-slaughter law in the state will be discussed in the cabinet meeting. He was reacting to the recent remark by state Animal Husbandry minister, K Venkatesh in which he advocated slaughtering aged cows as the same were "troubling farmers".

Siddaramaiah said there already existed a Karnataka Prevention of Cow Slaughter and Cattle Preservation Act, 1964 but it lacked clarity due to which an amendment was brought. However, the Congress government again went back to the 1964 Act. "They (BJP) had again brought an amendment. We will discuss this in the Cabinet. We have not decided anything yet," the CM clarified.

On the same issue, Congress MLA Rizwan Arshad on Monday said that the Karnataka government should seek consultation with the farmers before taking a decision on the Cow Slaughter bill. “Whatever is done to take care of the interests of the farmers of Karnataka. Cow Slaughter is affecting the farmers of Karnataka. It is not a religious issue or not a caste issue. It is a farmer’s issue. State government should seek consultation with the farmers and take a decision,” says Congress MLA Rizwan Arshad.

Meanwhile, speaking about the state budget, Siddaramaiah said the same will be tabled on July 7. All eyes are on how the government will make the necessary funds allocations, given that it has undertaken to start implementing all five of its poll guarantees within the financial year.

The chief minister said the Cabinet has not yet discussed the Budget but the Assembly session will start on July 3, and after the discussion on the Governor's speech, the Budget will be tabled on July 7. "We are convening the Budget Session where we will table the Budget on July 7. We will make provisions for the implementation of the promises made in our manifesto," Siddaramaiah said.

Asked about the size of the Budget, he said he would be able to speak on the matter only after the Budget preparatory meeting starts. The chief minister pointed out that the size of the budget tabled by the previous government ahead of the election was Rs 3.08 lakh crore.

On the issue of hike in electricity tariff by Rs 2.89 per unit, Siddaramaiah said the decision was not taken by the government but by the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC). "We do not decide hike in electricity tariff. There is Karnataka electricity regulatory authority, which has decided. It had been decided in the past. We have only implemented it," he explained.