The Trinamool Congress (TMC) in Meghalaya has slammed the Conrad K. Sangma government for creating a beef crisis to fulfil the Bharatiya Janata Party’s ‘hidden political agenda’.
The BJP is a minor partner in the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) government headed Mr. Sangma’s National People’s Party. Five suspended MLAs of the Congress are also in the government.
State TMC leader and the chief whip of the Opposition George Lyngdoh told the 60-member State Assembly on Monday that the Centre and the MDA government have together denied the people of Meghalaya access to beef.
“The inaction of the State government proves beyond doubt that it is ensuring the BJP succeeds in its plans. The State government is making sure cattle do not reach Meghalaya and those that do, get smuggled [to adjoining Bangladesh],” he said.
“The prices of the cattle that manage to reach the open market are so high that people cannot buy,” he added.
Another TMC legislator, H.M. Shangpliang, said the government should come up with a cattle-rearing mission similar to the piggery mission.
He informed the House that a survey conducted by the TMC revealed cows were not being brought to the State as the price of each has gone up from ₹10,000 to ₹25,000 while the price of beef has doubled to ₹600 per kg.
Some MLAs attributed the crisis to the Assam Cattle Preservation Act, 2021, which has made it difficult for Meghalaya to procure cattle for meat. Apart from restricting the sale and consumption of beef in areas dominated by non-beef-eating communities, the law makes it mandatory for private suppliers transporting cattle to the neighbouring States to register with the Assam government’s Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Department.
Smuggling of raw meat
This has led to the smuggling of raw meat from Assam to Meghalaya. “The unknown source of such meat is causing concern,” P.T. Sawkmie, a suspended Congress MLA, said.
Meghalaya’s Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Minister Sanbor Shullai said the State government would be procuring semen straws of the Ongole and other exotic breed bulls to expand the exercise of artificial insemination. “The objective is to make Meghalaya self-sufficient in meat production,” he said.
According to the 2019 livestock census, the cattle population in Meghalaya is 9.5 lakh. The government hoped to increase the population to at least 15 lakh through the artificial insemination programme.
Mr. Shullai also said that his department had so far issued 280 transit permits to genuine local traders, dairy cooperative societies and others since Assam enacted the Cattle Preservation Act.
