West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday asked whether Centre would provide health insurance if a cow attacked a person while celebrating “Cow Hug Day”, reported PTI.
The Trinamool Congress chief made the statement while referring to a February 6 appeal by the Animal Welfare Board of India to mark Valentine’s Day as “Cow Hug Day”. The notice was withdrawn on February 10 on a direction issued by the “competent authority” and the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying.
The board had urged cow lovers to celebrate February 14 as Cow Hug Day “keeping in mind the importance of mother cow and [to] make life happy and full of positive energy”. It claimed that hugging cows will “bring emotional richness” and will “increase our individual and collective happiness”.
On Monday, Banerjee took a jibe at the Centre while addressing the state Assembly.
“I go to show physical affection towards a cow, fine but what if it injures me with its horns,” Banerjee asked, reported The Telegraph. “Will they [Centre] ensure health insurance? They should do that first. The [Rs 5 lakh] Swasthya Sathi [state-run health insurance scheme] won’t do, they should give a Rs 10 lakh insurance for this, then we will go about embracing cows.”
The chief minister said that she too loves and offers prayers to cows but embracing them is not something she would do.
“What do they [Bharatiya Janata Party] have in place of brains, I do not know,” Banerjee said. “...Now please also think of something with other bovine creatures, such as buffaloes. They have bigger horns. How about a Rs 20 lakh insurance for hugging buffaloes?”
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