It was embarrassing situation for union ministers Prakash Javadekar and Radha Mohan Singh as participants at a national conference on gaushalas organized by the central government shouted slogans against the government and interrupted their speeches for failing to take measures to protect cows.
The conference saw participation of NGOs, religious organization and owners of gaushals from across the country. The agenda was to discuss management of cows after productive phase, provisions of feed and fodder and increasing milk productivity.
Participants kept on obstructing the conference for different issues ranging from speakers talking in English to use of picture of imported cow (jersey) in place of indigenous cow on kit provided to them.
Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh has to face the ire of the crowd as he said that the government has issued funds for maintenance of gaushals to all states. Participants from Rajasthan stood up and started shouting slogans that he was speaking lie as they have not received any money.
“The BJP in its manifesto during Lok Sabha election has talked about protecting cows and checking cow slaughtering but in last two years nothing has moved. In fact grazing land for cow has been taken over by government for construction works,” said Satyanarayan Bhadariya, who runs a gaushala in Ajmer, Rajasthan.
The Union Minister later told the audience that while he agreed and sympathised with their grievances, he will ensure that work was done in this regard.
Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar also has to stop his speech in the middle as participants claimed that NDA government has failed to check illegal cow trafficking and slaughtering. Most of them demanded that why the government can’t bring a bill banning cow slaughtering in the country.
Javadekar had to spend few minutes to pacify the crowd saying the conference was meant to find solutions to these issues and the central government and his ministry will go through the suggestions and recommendations that are made after the conclusion of the day-long meeting which also included scientists and dairy research professionals.
In more trouble for the speakers at the event, the protesters also stopped K P Ramesha, Principal Scientist, National Dairy Research Institute, from delivering his speech in English. He was asked to speak in Hindi. Rest of the speakers spoke in Hindi and some like Dr Vinod Bhatt, Director, Central Frozen Semen Production & Training Institute, Hessarghatta, Bangalore apologized to the gathering for not knowing Hindi well.