Cattle ban a deep injury on society, says UDF

Thiruvananthapuram: The Opposition Congress-led UDF in the State Friday hit out at the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre for the ban on sale of cattle for slaughter and said it was a "deep injury inficted on the society."

A day after UDF closed ranks with ruling CPI (M)-led LDF government in the assembly to attack the Centre against the ban, the front Friday adopted a resolution stating that the Union government cannot decide "what food we should eat."

"This will be an encroachment on the citizens rights enshrined in the Constitution," the UDF said in the resolution.

"If demonetisation had dealt a sharp attack on the financial structure of the country, the cattle ban is a deep injury inflicted on the society," the resolution said.

The ban notification will have far reaching consequences, socially, financially and politically, it said, adding, it was "unconstitutional" and against the federal structure.

It was the latest example of "fascism at our doorsteps."

In another resolution, the UDF hit out at the Modi government for failing to provide any relief to agitating farmers, who were facing immense hardships as they were not getting reasonable income for their produce and were also unable to repay bank loans.

In the resolution moved at the UDF meeting here, it said the previous Congress-led UPA government had waived loans of farmers providing them relief, giving a big boost to the agricultural sector.

However, the BJP government at the centre had not taken any steps to give them relief,it alleged.

The agrarian sector was facing a severe crisis in the country due to the slowdown, it said.

Farmers were committing suicide on a daily basis, it said. But the Modi government was treating them as enemies, the resolution alleged.

Five protesting farmers had been killed in Madhya Pradesh and Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi was arrested when he tried to visit them, the resolution said, condemning the government action.

Farmers in Tamil Nadu, Maharastra, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan were agitating and BJP government is trying to suppress the agitation, the resolution said.