BJP lashes out at DMK for criticising Centre on cattle ban

Chennai: The BJP's state unit on Wednesday lashed out at the DMK for its criticism of the party-led government at the Centre on the issue of ban on sale of cattle for slaughter, and challenged it to hold a beef-eating protest as some other groups were doing.

The party's state unit president Tamilisai Soundararajan also refuted DMK leader M K Stalin's charge of the NDA's 'non-performance', saying people were now backing the party in many states, apparently indicating at the BJP coming to power in Uttar Pradesh, among others.

"I ask brother Stalin, if you can, why don't you stage a beef-eating protest like the students (of IIT Madras did). Let's see what happens in Tamil Nadu then," she told reporters.
Stalin had earlier in the day led a protest against the ban on sale of cattle for slaughter.

Stoutly defending the central notification against sale of cattle for slaughter, Soundararajan claimed it was done with the "noble intention" of protecting cows, which were "holy" and like a "mother".

Lives of farmers would be better if the cows were with them and not by just slaughtering them, she said.

She accused Stalin of spreading falsehoods and took exception to him branding her party and its government at the Centre as "anti-people".

Among others, the Chennai Metro rail was up and running even as the Centre was allocating sufficient funds to Tamil Nadu in various sectors, including housing and energy.

She also questioned what the DMK had done for farmers.

"Have you built one dam, taken up one water management scheme? Have you taken efforts for intra-state river linking? What visionary steps have you taken for farmers? People will no more accept your criticism of BJP," she said.

On the beef fest controversy at IIT-Madras, she asked why it was permitted in the first place.

She flayed the teachers for failing to anticipate the reactions the event could draw.

She also asked students not to get carried away by the controversy over the notification and said there was no ban on eating beef as was being made out.