JK MLA to launch campaign for his bill to decriminalise bovine

Independent MLA Sheikh Abdul Rashid today said he will launch a signature campaign from tomorrow in support of his bill to decriminalise slaughter of bovine animals in Jammu and Kashmir and sought support of all the legislators to pass it in the Assembly.
Rashid, who has submitted a bill in the state legislature seeking removal of provisions which criminalise slaughter of bovine animals in the state, said he would withdraw his bill if the government brought its own in the Assembly.
"I request all 87 MLAs that this is the issue of fundamental rights of the people and is concerned with their religion, so, cutting across political lines, support my bill or any other such bill which seeks changes in the provisions of law which bans slaughter of cows," Rashid told reporters here.

Rashid said he would launch a signature campaign in all the districts of Kashmir Valley to impress upon the MLAs to support the bills in the Assembly.
"Tomorrow, we will launch the signature campaign in Kupwara district (in north Kashmir) and then in all districts in the Valley seeking peoples' support to impress upon their MLA to support the bills in the Assembly," he said.
"If the government or the Law Minister brings its own bill in the Assembly seeking changes in the law, then I will withdraw my bill as I do not want to draw any political mileage out of it," he said.

Rashid said that he will try to meet MLAs to garner their support before the start of the Assembly session on October 3. He said he would lead a peaceful protest and sit-in near the Assembly on the opening day of its autumn session.