In a bid to draw the state government's attention to a lumpy skin disease (LSD) outbreak, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lawmaker Suresh Singh Rawat brought a cow to the premises of the state assembly's building in India's Rajasthan on Monday.
Rawat complained that the Congress-led state government is not paying proper attention to the issue and demanded that authorities arrange the needed supply of medicines and vaccines for the affected cattle.
Later, three Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP) lawmakers also staged a small protest in the Well of the House, carrying posters that read “Cows are pleading from the government to save them".
Meanwhile, Rajasthan State Chief Gehlot told reporters that the federal government should declare lumpy disease a national calamity.
An eight-day-long procession has also been organized at the Jaipur Municipal Corporation Heritage headquarters to pray for the good health of the cattle and protect them from the disease. The procession started on September 15.
Lumpy skin disease is a viral disease which transmits to cattle by blood-sucking insects. It causes fever and skin nodules, and can be fatal. Last week, while addressing the inaugural session of International Dairy Federation’s World Dairy Summit (IDF WDS) 2022, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that Indian scientists have developed a vaccine to control the disease.