S.L. BhyrappaFile Photo  

Kannada writer and Saraswathi Samman awardee S.L. Bhyrappa on Sunday defended the proposed law against cow slaughter on the grounds that the animal symbolised non-violence.

Speaking at a function held at the RSS office here to mobilise funds for the construction of Sri Rama temple in Ayodhya, Dr. Bhyrappa said cow was symbolic of non-violence and “we shared a mother and child relationship with it”. He said everyone grew up consuming cow milk and children did not renounce their mother when she was of an advanced age.

He said there were other benefits too and the animal produced dung, which had utility as a fertilizer. He said the menace of cancer was on the rise owing to the use of chemical fertilizers in agriculture and farmers should harness cows for using its dung. Those critical of the law against cow slaughter lack basic knowledge, he opined.

The writer also expressed support to the farm legislation passed by the Centre. Dr. Bhyrappa said the protests in Delhi were by farmers from Punjab alone and was not representative of the views of all the farmers across the country.

Dr. Bhyrappa said the new legislation enabled farmers to sell their produce to anyone who made a better offer, instead of selling it at APMC yards. He expressed suspicion that “the Congress and the Communists” were behind the ongoing agitation.

He said the new legislation provided benefits to farmers and they would receive money on the spot instead of waiting indefinitely for it to be transferred to their accounts. “There are political parties unable to digest the popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. They are hence instigating the farmers,” he said.

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