Owaisi asks: Why hasn't Karnataka Congress repealed BJP's 2020 cow slaughter law?
Synopsis
AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi publicly challenged Karnataka's Congress government on 2 November 2026, asking why it has not repealed the BJP's Prevention of Cow Slaughter and Preservation of Cattle Act 2020, which he says was enacted against the Quraish cattle-trading community.
Key Takeaways
Owaisi's direct challenge: AIMIM president questioned on 2 November 2026 why Karnataka's Congress government has not repealed the BJP's Prevention of Cow Slaughter and Preservation of Cattle Act, 2020 .
The 2020 law: Enacted by the BJP government in Karnataka, it expanded the cattle-slaughter ban and increased penalties, with enforcement falling heavily on the Quraish biradari , a Muslim community engaged in cattle trade and allied occupations.
Congress's unfulfilled promise: The Congress manifesto ahead of the May 2023 Karnataka assembly elections included commitments to review or repeal laws seen as discriminatory against minorities.
No verified repeal action: No verifiable evidence exists of the Congress government introducing an amendment or repeal bill since taking office in 2023.
Broader pattern: Karnataka fits a recurring dynamic — BJP-era cattle laws surviving post-election government changes in states such as Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh.
Arenas to watch: The Karnataka assembly and the Karnataka High Court remain the two forums where the law's fate will ultimately be decided.
A pre-election promise collides with post-election silence. AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi on Monday, 2 November 2026 publicly challenged the Congress government in Karnataka, demanding to know why it has not repealed the Prevention of Cow Slaughter and Preservation of Cattle Act, 2020 — a law Owaisi says was specifically designed to target the Quraish biradari, the Muslim community whose livelihoods are rooted in the cattle trade.
Posting in Hindi, Owaisi's question was direct: 'Karnataka mein BJP ne Quraish biradari ke khilaaf jo qanoon banaya tha, Congress usey wapas kyun nahi le rahi hai?' — 'The law the BJP made in Karnataka against the Quraish community — why is Congress not repealing it?'
The law at the centre: What the BJP built in 2020
When the BJP governed Karnataka, it replaced earlier cattle-preservation rules with the 2020 Act — a significantly tougher regime. The new law expanded the scope of the ban and sharply increased penalties, placing the Quraish community — traditional butchers, cattle traders, and leather workers — at the sharpest end of its enforcement. Critics argued the legislation went beyond animal welfare and effectively criminalised the occupational identity of an entire community.Congress's 2023 manifesto promise vs. the record since
Congress swept back to power in Karnataka in May 2023, and its campaign manifesto carried explicit promises to review or repeal laws perceived as discriminatory against minorities, including provisions around cow slaughter. That mandate is now over three years old. Whether the party has introduced any amendment or repeal bill in the Karnataka assembly remains unverified — and the absence of visible action is precisely the silence Owaisi is pressing on.Why Owaisi's challenge stings the Congress
This is not the first time a state-level Congress government has faced the gap between manifesto rhetoric and legislative follow-through. Across Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, similar dynamics have played out — pre-poll assurances on contentious BJP-era laws quietly shelved once the political and administrative costs of repeal become real. Karnataka is now the latest case study. For Owaisi, who positions AIMIM as the party that will say what Congress won't act on, the question is a pointed pressure tactic: do the minority communities that voted Congress in 2023 have a concrete legislative return to show for it? The Karnataka assembly and the state's courts are the two arenas to watch — either a repeal bill moves, or constitutional challenges in the Karnataka High Court keep the pressure alive from the judicial side. Until one of those levers moves, Owaisi's question hangs unanswered.Point of View
Owaisi anchors an abstract policy debate in an occupational community facing direct economic harm, making inaction politically costly to ignore. This fits AIMIM's broader national positioning as a party that forces Congress to answer for the gap between its secularist self-image and its governing record. The longer Karnataka's Congress government stays silent on the 2020 Act, the more it validates Owaisi's core argument that minority communities must not treat Congress support as unconditional.
NationPress
2 Nov 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Prevention of Cow Slaughter and Preservation of Cattle Act 2020 in Karnataka?
It is a law passed by the BJP government in Karnataka in 2020 that replaced earlier cattle-preservation rules with a stricter regime — expanding the scope of the ban on cow slaughter and significantly increasing penalties for violations.
Why did Owaisi target the Karnataka Congress government over this law?
Owaisi pointed out that Congress won power in Karnataka in May 2023 on a manifesto that promised to review or repeal discriminatory laws, yet the 2020 cow slaughter law — which he says targets the Quraish Muslim cattle-trading community — remains in force.
Who is the Quraish biradari and why are they affected by this law?
The Quraish biradari is a Muslim community whose traditional occupations include cattle trade, butchery, and allied leather work. The 2020 Act's expanded restrictions and stricter penalties directly affect their livelihoods and are the basis of Owaisi's charge that the law was designed against them.
Has the Karnataka Congress government repealed or amended the 2020 cow slaughter law?
There is no verified record of the Congress government in Karnataka — which has been in office since May 2023 — introducing any bill to amend or repeal the Prevention of Cow Slaughter and Preservation of Cattle Act, 2020.
What can be done to challenge or repeal the Karnataka cow slaughter law?
The law can be repealed or amended through the Karnataka state assembly, where Congress holds a majority. Alternatively, its constitutional validity could be challenged before the Karnataka High Court — two avenues that remain open but so far unused.
