Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, in a letter to Eknath Shinde, has requested his Maharashtra counterpart to ask state legislator Bachchu Kadu to release a press statement expressing regret for the ‘send stray dogs to Assam’ remark, made earlier this month.
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“Along with the people of Assam, I am extremely dismayed and agitated by the comments of the aforesaid MLA which has expressed his prejudices and ignorance about the culture of our State. I am sure that you will fully empathise with the sentiments of the people of Assam in this matter,” Sarma wrote in his letter to Shinde.
A copy of the March 19 letter is available with Hindustan Times.
What did Bachchu Kadu say?
The Prahar Janshakti Party (PJP) chief made the remark in the Maharashtra assembly, during a discussion on the issue of problems caused by stray dogs.
“Stray dogs are in demand in Assam. They fetch selling price of up to ₹8,000. To control the population of stray dogs in the state, they should be dispatched to Assam,” he had said.
The politician reasoned that locals in the northeastern state ‘consume’ dogs. His statement, however, invited flak from animal rights activists.
