Assam Minister Ranjeet Kumar Dass, on Sunday, said that there is no comparison between cow and pig, as people mainly drink cow milk and “nobody consumes pig milk”.
Ranjeet Kumar Dass was reacting to Assam Congress MLA Abdul Khaleque’s demand of ban on slaughter of pigs and sale of pork, 500 metres around mosques.
“Neither Hindus nor Muslims drink pig milk. While cow milk is consumed by everyone, whether he is Hindu, a Muslim, or a Christian. Protection of cow is the need of hour and also the moral responsibility of each and every Indian,” Dass said.
“This Cow Protection bill has been brought with the sole objective of making Assam self-reliant in the production of milk and milk products,” the Assam Minister said.
The Assam Government, last week, had tabled the cattle Bill in the assembly, which envisages to slaughter of cows, ban sale of beef within 5-kilometre radius of a temple in urban areas and transport of cattle.
Earlier, Assam Congress MP Abdul Khaleque had said that if slaughter of cows and sale of beef is to be banned in 5-kilometre radius of temples, then slaughter of pigs and sale of pork, 500 metres around mosques, should also be banned, as pork is forbidden in Islam.
He said that the provisions of the new Cattle Bill introduced by the Assam Government in the Assembly would strike balance, only if, slaughter of pigs and sale of pork is also banned near mosques.
“Pork is haram (forbidden) in Islam. The new Bill will strike a balance if the State government bans slaughter of pigs and sale of pork, 500 metres around mosques and religious other religious places of Islam,” Assam Congress MP Abdul Khaleque had said.