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The Sunday Standard

Bhopal Diary: Senior BJP MLA sparks controversy, suggests entire dog breed be wiped out to tackle stray menace

Gopal Bhargava questions the need for dogs, arguing resources should focus on humans amid rising stray dog concerns in the Assembly debate

Anuraag Singh

Nine-time MLA suggests wipeout of dog breed

Gopal Bhargava, MP’s senior-most MLA and a minister in all BJP governments since 2003 except the current one, recently stunned the Assembly by suggesting that the entire dog breed be wiped out as a solution to the rising stray dog menace in the state. “Why are dogs needed? Whether they are domesticated (pets) or stray, their breed should be eradicated,” said Bhargava. Joining the around 40-minute debate on the issue, the MLA said, “In a country where the government provides free ration to feed 80 crore people, I assume that whether they are pets or stray animals, what is the requirement for such animals (dogs)?”

‘Shirshasana’ protest in Assembly against FIR

The last day of the budget session saw a dramatic scene, when the opposition Congress MLA Babu Jandel staged a unique ‘shirshasana’ (headstand) protest on the Assembly premises against lodging of an FIR against him for celebratory firing during a Mahashivaratri procession. After walking out of the House in protest against the FIR in Sheopur, the MLA performed the headstand protest near the Mahatma Gandhi statue. “Not just one, but three FIRs in one month… 15 so far. Whenever I raise my voice, an FIR follows. They want to put me in jail. They want to kill me,” Jandel further claimed.

Digvijaya’s ‘impala’ jibe at Mohan Yadav govt

Congress veteran and ex-chief minister Digvijaya Singh has recently targeted the Mohan Yadav government, claiming that the picture of ‘impala’ (a medium-sized antelope found in Africa) has been used in the state’s official 2026 calendar. Sharing the picture of the calendar’s February month page on social media, the Congress MP, while tagging the post, claimed that the deer variety whose picture is used in the calendar seems to be ‘impala’, which isn’t found in India, but is native to Africa. He said Mohan Yadav should be careful while finalising pics in the state’s calendar.

Anuraag Singh

Our correspondent in Madhya Pradesh

singhanuraag.jaurno@gmail.com

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