Cow activist storms venue of Amit Shah’s event with dead bull, arrested
Says other states can learn about transparency from Khattar govt’s transfer, recruitment policy
ROHTAK: Cow activist Sant Gopal Das on Thursday evaded high security and stormed into BJP national president Amit Shah’s programme venue with a dead bull to divert his attention towards his demands.
The activist, who is on a hunger strike from the past over two months demanding free pasture land for grazing, brought the bull on a JCB machine and placed it in front of the gate of the Tilyar Convention Hall, where Shah was holding a meeting.
High drama followed when Das, along with his supporters, started shouting slogans for cow protection, criticising the government for not doing anything on the issue.
The heavy security stood as mute spectator until Rohtak SP Pankaj Nain reached the spot.
Later, Das was arrested and booked for creating nuisance in public.
Nain told Hindustan Times they were waiting for the bull’s autopsy, and if it turns out to be unnatural death, then Das will be booked under cow slaughter Act as well.
Das was arrested in 2014 for walking towards Parliament with a slaughtered cow’s head. This was the second instance of outsiders breaching Shah’s security cover.
On Wednesday, police had arrested two drunk men who had allegedly dodged the security to enter the venue. .
ROHTAK:National president of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Amit Shah, on Thursday applauded the armed forces for killing a record number of terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir. However, when asked about the increasing deaths of Indian soldiers post the surgical strikes, he said it was natural for the gunlaced enemy to retaliate.
“When a war is fought, people from both sides die. However, we have eliminated a record number of terrorists in our attempt to bring back peace in the Kashmir valley,” he said.
Shah was addressing a press conference in Rohtak on the second day of his three-day visit to Haryana wherein he is reviewing the functioning of the Manohar Lal Khattar-led BJP government.
DUCKS QUESTIONS OF SINO-INDIA STANDOFF
The BJP chief also praised the Centre’s foreign policy and claimed that it led to “isolating” Pakistan in the international community more than ever. He claimed that the government “broke the backbone” of terrorfunding with its demonetisation policy, followed by NIA raids and arrests of separatist leaders from Kashmir.
He, however, evaded questions on the month-long standoff with China in Dokalam, Sikkim, and the IT raids on Karnataka Congress minister, stating that ministers concerned have already answered them. Furthermore, Shah also evaded question about farm loan waiver in Haryana, saying that the Centre had clarified that it was for the states to decide on the matter.
SLAMS CONG FOR AMENDING OBC BILL
The BJP president also slammed the Congress for amending the OBC bill in the Rajya Sabha. The amendment had left the BJP redfaced, forcing Shah to pull up party MPs for their absence in the Parliament, because of which the Opposition was successful in moving the amendment. The amended bill will now have to be reintroduced in the Lok Sabha.
“It took 60 years for any government at the Centre to introduce this bill in the Parliament. The Congress has shown its real face by stalling it in the Rajya Sabha. The backward classes will remember for lifetime that the Congress is against their upliftment,” Shah said.
ALL PRAISE FOR KHATTAR GOVT
Meanwhile, Shah also praised chief minister Khattar for his initiatives in “improving” sex ratio of Haryana, making state kerosene-free and electing educated people to the panchayats.
Praising Khattar, he said other states “need to learn from him on how to introduce transparency in transfers and recruitment”.
Speaking on the ongoing stand-off between Punjab and Haryana over the Sutlej Yamuna Link Canal, Shah said the Centre will soon reintervene to facilitate talks with both the states to reach a settlement.