A BJP MLA in Assam has courted controversy with his remark in which he indicated that the minority community is like a cow that does not yield milk, and asked what is the use of giving fodder to such cattle.
Prasanta Phukan, the MLA representing Dibrugarh, made the comments while talking about the voting pattern among Muslims in the Lok Sabha polls.
While Congress’ Leader of Opposition in Assembly Debabrata Saikia wrote to the Speaker on Thursday, demanding action against Phukan and alleging that he likened Muslims to “cows”, and for having allegedly “denigrated them as unproductive cattle”, Phukan on Friday said that he only meant that seeking votes from the Muslim community is “of no use”.
Phukan told The Indian Express, “My point was simple. I said 90 per cent Muslims do not vote for us. I used an Assamese proverb – what is the use of feeding a cow fodder if it does not give milk… I never intended to call the Muslim community ‘cow’. I said it is no use seeking their votes.”