Uttarakhand governor Aziz Qureshi speaks against cow slaughter

LUCKNOW: Uttarakhand Governor Aziz Qureshi raised a few eyebrows on Friday when he said that those who slaughter cows do not have the right to be called Indians. Qureshi, who had come to Moradabad, a town in west UP, for a function, said, "Those who slaughter cows cannot be called Indians, and will have no right to live in India."

He even went on to appeal to the Muslims to refrain from cow slaughter and treat them as their mother. The ban on cow slaughter figures on the agenda of BJP and RSS, and the governor’s speech appears to toe their line.

A Congress leader from Madhya Pradesh, Qureshi had represented Satna constituency as an MP of the party, and was appointed governor of Uttarakahand by the previous Congress-led UPA government in 2012. But after Narendra Modi assumed charge at the Centre in May this year, Qureshi had lavished praise on Modi. While many Congress-appointed governors were forced out of Raj Bhawan in recent times, Qureshi tenaciously held on to his post.

After another Congress-appointed governor BL Joshi was removed as UP Governor in June, Qureshi was given temporary charge of UP Raj Bhawan as well. He profusely thanked Modi for the additional responsibility.