Instead of tiger, declare cow national animal: Haryana minister

Chandigarh, Oct 7: A senior minister in Haryana has taken on the Royal Bengal Tiger - literally. The minister, who is from the BJP, has demanded that the cow should be declared as the national animal, displacing the tiger. A tweet from Haryana Health and Sports Minister Anil Vij on Wednesday read: "Declare Cow as National Animal of India instead of Royal Bengal tiger." The minister's tweet has come bang in the middle of a raging controversy over cow slaughter, beef ban in various states and the killing of a Muslim man in Dadri area of western Uttar Pradesh last week over allegations that he had eaten beef. Vij is a senior minister in the first Bharatiya Janata Party government in Haryana, which came to power in October last year after assembly polls. In March this year, the BJP government announced a complete ban on sale of beef in any form in the state. The decision upset many people living in Gurgaon, adjoining the national capital, especially a large number of foreign nationals living in the industrial hub, as beef eating has become illegal in the state. Vij is the most active of all Haryana ministers and quite popular with his action-oriented style of functioning and speaking out openly what is on his mind.