Beef Consumption Regulation Will Prevent Communal Conflict: Himanta Sarma

"Our cattle bill is nothing but improvement of the 1950 bill of the then Congress government," Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said.

The Assam government has said the law on protecting cattle in the state will also help avoid clashes centred on beef consumption. "We have moved this bill on the first day of the assembly session and the intervening period was of almost 30 days. We were ready to consider all the amendments. In fact for one-two amendments, however, the opposition could not present them with proper facts," Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said. "Our cattle bill is nothing but improvement of the 1950 bill of the then Congress government," he said. "The bill is inspired by Article 48 and thoughts of Mahatma Gandhi," he added. The Assam assembly today passed a bill to regulate slaughter, consumption and transportation of cattle, amid a walkout by the opposition parties in protest against the government's refusal to forward the legislation to a select committee. Speaker Biswajit Daimary announced The Assam Cattle Preservation Bill, 2021 as passed. "As the bill has been passed today, no cattle slaughter, sale and consumption of beef can take place within 5 km radius of any temple or monastery. Wherever there are substantial Hindu, Jain, Sikh or people of other non-beef eating community live, beef cannot be consumed," the Chief Minister said, adding the state government has completely banned the movement of cattle beyond the parameters of a district.