The Congress Party and its veteran leaders are finding it difficult to come to terms with the decision of Madhya Pradesh government, which on two instances has invoked the National Security Act against people accused of illegal transportation of cow and its slaughter.
On February 3, the Kamal Nath government had invoked NSA against three accused of cow slaughter in Khandwa district. It is alleged that the locality where the slaughter was performed is a communally sensitive area and the act of cow slaughter could have threatened communal harmony there. On the heels of this incident, the MP government had invoked the NSA against two more people for ‘illegal transportation of cattle and disruption of public peace’ on 8 February, in Agar Malwa district.
The Congress leaders have started condemning its own state government, maybe so as to comply with the outrage of the liberal and leftist media.
Speaking at the launch of his book, “Undaunted: Saving the Idea of India”, Former Union Minister and Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram expressed disapproval over the action of MP government and also said that the party has pointed so to the state government. Not only this, but P Chidambaram also said that Congress President Rahul Gandhi also deems the action a mistake.
“The government has been told that was wrong. I think the Congress president has told the people concerned that was wrong… Use of NSA in Madhya Pradesh was wrong. That has been pointed out to the government in Madhya Pradesh.” P Chidambaram was quoted by Indian Express.
Former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh Digvijay Singh said that what section to invoke for what crimes, depend solely on police. But he added that he thought crimes related to cow should not invite the Act.
The unease of national Congress leaders became more apparent after its other leaders also condemned the invoking of NSA and also asked the state government to explain the same. Former Minister of External Affairs Salman Khurshid said that “prima facie it does not seem the right thing”. He also appealed to Kamal Nath government to clarify the move and explain its necessity.
Former Rajya Sabha MP Rashid Alvi said that NSA should only be invoked in cases where there is the real threat to the national security, and added that here the case is only about the cow, and NSA is not applicable.
Prior to Kamal Nath, the BJP government has used the Act to handle cow-related crimes. The last time NSA was invoked for cow slaughter, it was under the BJP government when Anwar Mev, the vice-president of the BJP’s minority cell was found guilty of cow slaughter and was booked under NSA with nine others. He was also expelled from the party.
Earlier, the Yogi Adityanath government had also ordered to invoke the NSA and the Gangster Act on persons guilty of cattle smuggling, illegal transportation of smuggled cattle and slaughter in all the districts of the state.
