NEW DELHI: The Congress on Tuesday said Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh should resign, taking responsibility for the deaths of 350 cows in three cow sheds in the state.
"This year, about 350 cows have died in three Gaushalas (cow sheds) in Chhattisgarh. The animals died due to lack of fodder and water. Both Chief Minister Raman Singh and state Animal Husbandry minister Brijmohan Agarwal are responsible for these deaths," said AICC in-charge of Chhattisgarh P.L. Punia in a statement.
"The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) indulges in pretense of cow protection. The Chief Minister should resign immediately taking responsibility," he added.
The Congress also alleged crores of rupees have been siphoned off by the BJP leaders in the name of cow protection in the state.
"All the three cowsheds were run by BJP leaders. Shagun Gaushala, in which more than 200 cows died, was run by BJP's Jamul Nagar panchayat vice-president Harish Verma," said state Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chief Bhupesh Bhagel.
"This year about Rs 517 crore was allocated in the budget for cow protection. Also, Rs 22 crore more was allocated by Gau Seva Aayog," he added.
Bhagel said: "When we carried out our inspection, we found about 600 cows were kept in a very small space. The cows which were standing could not sit, and the ones which were sitting could not stand. This is the current situation. There was neither fodder nor water for the cows."
"The skin and bones of the cows were sold off and the skin was used to feed the fish in the pond," he added.
Bhagel further said: "This is the country's biggest fodder scam. Every year, thousand