West Bengal BJP lines up state-wide stir to check smuggling of cows

KOLKATA: Before next year's assembly election, Bengal BJP has decided to take strong action against smuggling of cows and is planning to launch a state-wide movement. The rapid action group (RAG) set up by the party under its cow development cell (CDC) will visit the Indo-Bangladesh border areas from August 16 to check smuggling of cows to the neighbouring country.

The saffron brigade gave hints to chief minister Mamata Banerjee about its plan to stop cow smuggling along the 2,217 km Indo-Bangladesh border spreading over several districts in Bengal. It also informed the district magistrates and superintendents of police about the party's movement, which will be launched on August 16.

The BJP also urged the chief minister to launch a campaign in West Bengal stating that buying, selling, transporting and keeping cows for sacrificial purpose is illegal and punishable under the West Bengal Animal Slaughter Control Act, 1950.

Recently, the BJP formed the 450-member RAG under its CDC. In the past one year, the CDC carried out 45 operations across the state to stop smuggling of cows. "We have managed to save about 50,000 cows from being smuggled out to Bangladesh. But the state government is not co-operating with us to stop this menace," said Subrata Gupta, convenor of the CDC in Bengal.

"We had sent a letter to the chief minister on July 3 urging her to instruct the government to help and co-operate with us to stop cow smuggling. We will move court if we don't get any help and co-operation from the state government. Government's inaction to stop cow smuggling might be treated as abatement of several Supreme Court orders which say sacrifice of cow is illegal," Gupta added.

The chief minister's office (CMO), however, said it did not receive any such letter from the BJP. "We are aware about the Supreme Court orders and we will act accord ingly . But till date, we have not received any such letter from the BJP," a senior CMO official said.

BJP sources claimed that the 450-member RAG will swing into action from August 16 and its activists will rush to border areas immediately after they get any information about attempts to smuggle out cows from the Indian territory. "Apart from our move to physically check cow smuggling, our members will be touring several districts to mobilise public opinion against smuggling and slaughter of cows," said Gupta.

Trinamool Congress secretary general and West Bengal education minister Partha Chatterjee reacted sharply at the BJP's plan.

"This party always tries to extract political mileage by attempting to foment communal tension. I think they will play the same game here before assembly elections. In the name of stopping cow smuggling, they are actually drawing up a larger plan to foment communal tension," Chatterjee told ET.