GUWAHATI, July 15: Sibsagar MLA and Raijor Dal president Akhil Gogoi said that his party “opposes the Assam Cattle Preservation Bill, 2021 outright” as the legislation would affect farmers, and that he would rather prefer an open debate in the Assembly against the Bill.
Speaking to media persons on the Assembly premises here on Thursday, Gogoi said that from his party’s side there would be no amendment to the legislation. “We will only express our opinions and views if there is an open debate in the Assembly,” he said.
The 45-year-old peasant leader said that once the new cow protection Bill becomes an Act, the price of all kinds of meat in the state would increase substantially, and “the trends have emerged now”
“Farmers of all religions will suffer as the cow sale market will close once the Act is amended. Farmers need to sell cows which become redundant in the fields. They have been selling such cattle in markets…But once the legislation is enacted, how will they sell such cattle…how will they sustain their lives, make ends meet,” Gogoi asked.
Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had tabled the proposed legislation to protect cattle in the state on the first day of the budget session of the state Assembly on Monday.
Other BJP-ruled states such as Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Karnataka have similar laws.
The Raijor Dal chief decried the state Cabinet’s decision on Wednesday to allow home delivery of liquor in the city, saying that the government should instead focus on a massive COVID vaccination drive.
Gogoi further demanded that the state government should compensate the lockdown-hit people, be it daily wagers, rickshaw pullers, petty traders to businessmen.
“We therefore expect the state budget (to be presented on Friday) to be a visionary budget..The budget needs to consider the proposals of two committees to compensate people affected by the COVID-triggered lockdown,” he said.
