Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan is holding a special one-day Cabinet session on Thursday, June 8, to discuss the Centre's decision to ban the sale and purchase of cattle from livestock markets for slaughter.
Special session of Kerala Assembly underway to discuss Center's notification on sale & purchase of cattle from animal markets for slaughter. pic.twitter.com/MPdMnjWQoz
— ANI (@ANI_news) June 8, 2017
The Kerala government also plans to approach the Supreme Court and conduct a meeting with all chief ministers to fight against the ban.
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According to Vijayan, the issue of restriction on cattle slaughter does not fall within Parliament's legislative powers. "It rests with the powers of the state governments. That is why cow slaughter ban prevails in certain states and the same does not exist in other states," he said.
The CPI(M)-led LDF government in Kerala was the first to oppose the notification, saying, "It is an infringement of the state's right and went against federal principles".
Vijayan had recently written a letter to the other chief ministers across India on the new Central law, which he felt was a covert attempt to usurp the powers of the state legislature under the guise of a Central Act.
On Wednesday, the Kerala High Court declined to stay the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Regulation of Livestock Markets) Rules, 2017 (Rules) that ban the sale of cattle for massacre in animal markets.
Another Congress MLA Haibi Eden had also filed a petition in the Kerala High Court against the Centre's cattle ban wherein he has said that the subject of animal markets comes under the state list.
