The Hindu : CPI(M) opposes blanket ban on cow claughter

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Aug 14, 2003

National

National

CPI(M) opposes blanket ban on cow claughter

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI AUG. 13. The Communist Party of India (Marxist) has opposed the proposed anti-cow slaughter bill saying the subject should be under the purview of the States and cannot be imposed by any Central legislation.

A blanket ban on eating beef could not be imposed on any section of the people. In a country like India, which was "multi-religious, with diverse social and cultural habits, no legislation should be passed which dictates what the eating habits of different communities should be," a Politburo press communique said today.

At a meeting the Politburo took stock of the political situation in the country and articulated the party's stand on various issues such as the Supreme Court judgment on strikes, the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) report on defence deals, the Ayodhya issue and developments in Kerala.

It opposed the apex court judgment which declared that Government employees had no "constitutional, legal or moral right" to go on strike. The judgment made further "unwarranted remarks" against the use of strike by different sections of people and "contravenes the right to strike which is inherent in the collective bargaining process" existing in the Constitution and laws, such as the Industrial Disputes Act, passed by Parliament.

It decided to conduct a countrywide campaign against the judgment and its "retrograde character" and proposed to mobilise all sections of the working people, the intelligentsia and the legal fraternity "to check this form of judicial intervention".

Condemning the BJP-led Government's refusal to hand over the CVC's report on defence deals to the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament, it accused the Vajpayee Government of "continuing its ill-conceived efforts to cover up and protect corruption practices".

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

National