In trying to outdo the BJP on its own ideological turf, a Congress MLA from Anand district has proposed the Gujarat Rajmata (Gaumata Status, Protection and Welfare) Bill to grant “state mother” status to cows. If enacted, the state would follow Maharashtra in elevating the status of cows and mandating wider and stricter care through the government apparatus. However, cattle welfare leaves much to be desired in the country that houses nearly a third of the world’s cows. A study of dairy farming in Haryana and Punjab published in 2023 showed that conditions in almost half the farms in the former and a quarter in the latter were ‘unacceptable’. The aspects most compromised were microclimate protection, cleanliness and reproductive efficiency. It’s time to put the moolah where the moo is.