Punjab Cong MLA's remark invites animal lovers' wrath

The main opposition Congress MLA's suggestion to overcome the problem of the stray dog menace today invited the wrath of animal lovers.

People for Animals president Saurabh Gupta said that the issue raised by the MLA needed to be addressed at the earliest, but the "solution" suggested by him was "not practical and ethical".

"It is inhuman and unethical. Dogs have the right to live as well," he said.

"If the Punjab government attempts any such thing, we will drag them to court," Gupta warned.

The Punjab Assembly had witnessed some light moments yesterday when Congress legislator Ajit Singh Mofar moved a resolution to tackle the menace of stray dogs.

Mofar suggested the dogs be sent to the north-east or China for "whatever they do to them."

He was taking a dig at the common practise in the North-Eastern states of India of killing dogs for their meat.

Mofar suggested, "We can make arrangements to catch such dogs, put them in the jungle or zoos. Maybe we can then send them to Nagaland, Mizoram and China where they are more needed."

"Stray dogs are such a big nuisance; even going on a walk has become dangerous because of them," he said.

Mofar was hinting at the sharp rise in cases of dog bites in Punjab with an estimated 15,000 such cases reported annually.

While the MLA’s statement was definitely entertaining for the members of the Assembly, Sunil Jakhar, legislature leader of Congress party, was not in league with him this time.

Jakhar said, "A dog is a man’s best friend. Saying such things trivialises the issue. Personally, I am against this attitude."

http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_punjab-cong-mla-s-remark-invites-animal-lovers-wrath_1708390