Observing that India has imposed a complete ban on export of cow meat, former Bihar deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi on Sunday dared Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to prove his claim of 14.5 per cent increase in export of the product since the NDA government came to power last year. The question does not arise about the export of cow meat jumping by 14.5 per cent since the NDA government came to power as India has completely banned the export of said product, he said in a statement.
Accusing Kumar of distorting export figures deliberately to foment communal tension in the run-up to the Assembly polls in Bihar, Modi said, the exporters have to certify on packets of meat as to which animal does it belong to. Asserting that the export of cow meat is totally banned in India and slaughter of all animals completely prohibited in Gujarat, the senior BJP leader charged both Lalu Prasad and Nitish Kumar with vitiating communal atmosphere and deliberate attempt to polarise voters by making baseless statements about beef and beef exports respectively.
Observing that cows below 14 years of age were being slaughtered in Bihar despite a ban on it for the past six decades, he dared the chief minister to make a promise a complete ban on cow slaughter if he has political will to do so. The BJP leader said the NDA, on the other hand, was committed to ban cow slaughter in Bihar by making it a punishable offence with ten years imprisonments and Rs 10,000 fine on those indulging in such activities in the event of the BJP-led coalition coming to power at the hustings.