'UP govt must take action against cow slaughter'

Minister of state for agriculture Sanjeev Kumar Balyan said on Monday that the Dadri issue should not be given a communal colour and asked the Uttar Pradesh government to take strict action against cow slaughtering.

Balyan, who hails from Muzaffarnagar in western Uttar Pradesh, said the incident was not linked to communalism. He termed it a 'social issue' concerning the emotions of the Hindu community. "Whatever happened was wrong and unfortunate. But why such incidents happen? Look at any districts in the state, cow slaughter houses are set up at every place. The Uttar Pradesh government has not been able to take effective action," he said, on the sidelines of an event here.

Asked if he supported a communal flavour being given to the incident, Balyan said: "I don't agree to it. I don't want to link this issue with communalism. This is a social issue and is attached to the emotions of the Hindu community. It is better to see the issue from this angle."

"Cow slaughter is banned in Uttar Pradesh. If cow slaughtering is being done, the state government should take strict action," he said.