Declare cow as Gujarat's `Rajya Mata': Congress leader in Assembly

Gandhinagar, Mar 28 (PTI) The Congress on Friday asked the BJP government in Gujarat to bring a bill to recognise the cow as "Rajya Mata" or state mother to ensure that the "holy" animal is protected.

Congress Legislative Party leader Amit Chavda made the demand during a discussion in the state assembly on a bill introduced by the government for the regulation of bovine breeding.

Before Chavda, BJP MLA D K Swami said the cow is considered a mother in Hindu culture.

He went on to say that Speaker Shankar Chaudhary and deputy Speaker Jethabhai Bharwad do not need reading glasses because they drink cow milk regularly.

"Our Speaker and deputy Speaker do not have glasses because they consume cow milk. We believe in cows, not buffalos. Though we also need buffalos, that is a separate issue. The holy cow is our mother. It is a symbol of Earth," said Swami, supporting the Gujarat Bovine Breeding (Regulation) Bill.

Agriculture minister Raghavji Patel, who introduced the bill, recovered from health problems recently due to the "blessings of cow", said the BJP MLA.

Congress's Amit Chavda claimed that cows were suffering in Gujarat because large tracts of `gauchar' or grazing land were given away to industrialist.

"In Hindu culture, the cow is considered a mother. That is why we pray to the cow on auspicious occasions. But cows are now suffering because the government gave away nearly 103 crore square meters of land used as gauchar (grazing land) to industrial houses through sale or lease," the opposition leader alleged.

As per the figures shared by the state government in the assembly, nearly 2,800 villages do not have designated grazing land, Chavda said.

"We all should be worried about the situation of cows in these villages. After the loss of gauchar land, our cows have no other option than to eat plastic and other waste on the city roads," he added.

Though the state government has framed laws against cow slaughter, it is also earning revenue from the export of meat otherwise, the Congress leader further said.

The government should also give more grants to cow shelters, he added.

"I urge the state government to bring a bill to declare cow our 'Rajya Mata' (state mother). We have already submitted a private member's Bill to the Speaker regarding the same. But I demand that the government bring a bill....That will ensure that cows get proper food, shelter and treatment," he said.

The bill was passed unanimously.

On the last day of the Budget session, two other Bills -- The Gujarat Land Revenue (Amendment) Bill and The Gujarat Fisheries (Amendment) Bill -- were also passed unanimously. PTI