National cow slaughter ban sought

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi has urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to initiate a framework for cow protection laws in the wake of the Supreme Court order upholding the state law banning cow slaughter.

The chief minister who was recently felicitated by several organisations after the apex court verdict upholding the ban imposed on cow slaughter in the state, said that the ban was in conformity with the country's traditions and religious beliefs which impart a sense of piety and a pride of place to the animal.

"The issue needs to be addressed not ignored," he added. Modi said that it was a travesty of things that Mahatma Gandhi who felt very strongly on the issue had failed to move independent India to provide legislative protection to a animal which enjoys the status of a mother in Indian culture.

The Gujarat chief minister was the first to welcome the Supreme Court order. Incidentally, Gujarat was the first state to ban cow slaughter in 1994.

The Supreme Court judgment by a full bench on an appeal by the Gujarat government has not only put a stamp of approval on an over-a-decade-old order but also overruled three previous verdicts.

The BJP has agreed with the chief minister's views and feels that with the Supreme Court upholding the ban, the Centre should impose a nationwide ban on cow slaughter.