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The agriculture and environment ministries on Monday jointly organised a first-of-its-kind daylong national conference on 'gaushalas' (cowsheds), the Indian Express reported on Tuesday.
According to the report, in a break from convention, the speakers, including two Union ministers, were repeatedly shouted down and heckled by the audience. Their claims and statements were challenged.
Additionally, on a couple of occasions at least, arguments among the audience nearly erupted into fights. Some people in the audience, according to the report, were "simply angry that a booklet distributed at the venue had the picture of a foreign cross-bred cow on its cover".
Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh and Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar inaugurated the event. According to the report, Home Minister Rajnath Singh, who was supposed to be the chief guest, skipped the event.
The daylong seminar was meant to deal with cow protection, strengthening the cow economy, increasing milk yields and promoting indigenous varieties of cattle, the report said. And the audience, the report added, consisted mainly of "farmers, cow owners and those associated with gaushalas".
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The newspaper reported that the discussion devolved into sloganeering against cow slaughter and "chants of 'Bharat Mata ki Jai' and 'Gaumata ki Jai'".
According to a reporter present at the event, the crowd hooted at both the ministers when they spoke on cow protection. When Radha Mohan Singh said that the government had released Rs 582 crore for cow protection, many in the audience stood up to ask where had the sanctioned amount gone.
According to Indian Express, similar treatment was meted out to Javadekar when he attempted to highlight government efforts to curb cattle-smuggling at the borders.
Members of the audience, according to the reporter, raised some pertinent issues.
One of the issues raised was that while cow slaughter is banned in Haryana, the state government has been selling most of the grazing fields.
Another issue which was raised was that the government's policy focuses on promoting foreign cattle breeds, leaving a policy gap when it comes to looking after and promoting indigenous breeds.
Additionally, demands for completely banning cow slaughter came up again and again.
Speaking to Indian Express, Jitendra Malik, Sonepat head of Goshala Sangh of Haryana, said: “Why are people clapping at what the government is saying? Has the government put an end to cow slaughter? Till that happens, everything that this government says is meaningless. This government is not serious on cows.”
According to the report, it was also suggested, by members of the audience, that came up was that the government should buy cow-dung at Rs 4-5 per kg.
