Rane questions govt’s double standards on gou-rakshaks

the goan I networkrPANAJI rrSpeaking during the motion of thanks to the governor’s address, Rane hit the nail on the head when he said that farmers are being harassed in the name of cow protection. This has left farmers with no option, but to abandon dairy farming, he lamented. r“I want to ask, how many farmers are able to transport their cows. The government wants to increase milk production and is offering schemes for the same. Once a cow becomes barren what do you do? Do you leave it on the road? This is what many farmers are doing and they (the cattle) are then run over by vehicles,” Rane said. rHe cited the instance of one of his friends whose cattle were impounded by self-styled gou rakshaks and he had to later seek their release by producing some documentation. rTaking up the issue of wild animals destroying plantations, Rane said that the government should declare these as vermin as was done in Maharashtra, which would allow farmers to shoot them. rRane also raised the issue of the recent desecrations. He said there were way too many religious structures across the state and the government needs to “do something about these.” He also raised the Mhadei water dispute with Karnataka insisting that there can be no talks with Karnataka and that the minister’s recent comments should not be followed up on. rrrLobo for ban on Sadhvi Saraswati rrCalangute legislator Michael Lobo demanded a ban on the entry of people like Sadhvi Saraswati who recenlty made comments at a Hindu conclave in Goa that beef eaters should be hanged. rSpeaking during the motion of thanks to the Governor’s address, rLobo said that haters like her should be booked for hate speeches and interrogated by the police. r“The police should probe this. An FIR needs to be filed and they should be summoned to the police headquarters,” Lobo rthundered. “Such type of people should be banned from entering Goa,” Lobo said pointing out that it was he, who despite being in the ruling side, had tabled a calling attention motion against Pramod Muthalik which he said led to chief minister Manohar rParrikar banning him from entering Goa.