Congress Aims to Permit Beef Consumption if it Wins: Yogi Adityanath Makes Bold Claim

Yogi Adityanath, addressing a press conference on Saturday, accused the opposition bloc- INDIA of ‘promoting beef’. He stated that the Hindu community in the country abstains from consuming beef as they regard the cow as sacred. He denounced the Congress’s attempt to grant exemptions to Muslims for beef consumption as unacceptable.

In a previous election rally, the UP CM claimed that the Congress party wants to provide minorities with the right to eat beef. Uttar Pradesh already has stringent laws against cattle slaughter, with provisions for imprisonment and fines. The government formalized these laws in 2020 through the Uttar Pradesh Cow Slaughter Prevention (Amendment) Act, introducing stringent regulations surrounding cow slaughter in the state.

The amended law mandates severe penalties for cow slaughter or the trafficking of cows in Uttar Pradesh, including doubling the punishment for repeat offenders of cow smuggling and imposing minimum sentences and fines for cow slaughter and mutilation of cows. The law also addresses the expenses incurred for the upkeep of seized cows and holds owners and drivers of vehicles involved in transporting cows or their meat accountable, with non-bailable offenses. The Yogi government promulgated an ordinance in 2020 to implement the law due to a perceived laxity in its effective implementation.

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