Members of SFI, DYFI shout slogans against the ban on sale of cows for slaughter at animal markets in Bengaluru on Monday. (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: Hours after party vice-president Rahul Gandhi condemned party’s youth unit workers slaughtering a cow in Kerala, the Congress on Monday suspended three Youth Congress members for organising the event. Three Youth Congress workers — Kannur Youth Congress district president Rijil Makkutty and activists Joshi Kandathil and Sharafuddin — were suspended from the Youth Congress. Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi had earlier termed the public slaughter as “barbaric and unacceptable”.

Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said such an action by Congress workers was “completely unacceptable” and was “alien to the civil society, our culture and founding principles”.

“Anybody who has done so will have no place in the party and that’s why the workers have been already suspended by the Youth Congress,” he added.

The Congress leader also accused the BJP of doublespeak. Mr Surjewala, asked whether the BJP would give a similar advice to BJP-ruled Goa and to its chief minister Manohar Parrikar, to Union minister Kiren Rijiju who has been “gloating” over similar incidents, or to other BJP-ruled states “where such incidents are common”.

“We should rise above partisan politics and comprehensively condemn such incidents,” he said.

Releasing pictures of the slaughterhouse in Goa, the Congress leader said why does the BJP government in the state runs a slaughterhouse?

Mr Surjewala also questioned the silence of the BJP leadership on the statement of Union minister Kiren Rijiju where he had said that he belongs to Arunachal Pradesh and he eats beef.  

After the public slaughter, the Congress is on the back foot as it feels that the pictures of the slaughter will be used against it in the coming elections. Since Sunday night, the Congress is in damage control mode with Mr Gandhi tweeting against the slaughter in Kerala. Early Monday morning, the Congress also suspended the workers involved.

Now the Congress alleges that BJP is raking up the issue to divert attention to Dalit atrocities happening in Uttar Pradesh. With two assembly elections slated for the end of this year the Congress certainly wary of getting an anti Hindu tag.