Saralnama
Maharashtra BJP MLC Sadashiv Khot spoke against cow vigilantes harassing farmers and traders. He said farmers need to sell mature cattle to earn money. Khot supports changes to the Maharashtra Animal Preservation Act, 1976, which bans cow slaughter. He said farmers treat indigenous cows as sacred and only sell crossbred or milk-yielding animals. Traders and butchers, especially from the Muslim Qureshi community, have been on strike for over a month due to vigilante actions. Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar asked police to act against such vigilantism. Khot, a farmer leader from Sangli, was a minister in Devendra Fadnavis’s government and has worked for sugarcane farmers for 30 years. He faced criticism from his party for his views and reported violence against him at a cow shelter in Pune. Khot filed a complaint about this incident on Monday. How to understand this issue: Farmers need to balance animal care with income, but vigilante actions are affecting their livelihood. (Updated 27 Aug 2025, 22:23 IST; source: link)