Kerala stray dog menace: BJP, CPI(M) blame each other.

Thiruvananthapuram: Blame game between the BJP and CPI(M) has erupted in Kerala over stray dog menace, which recently took life of a mute 11-year-old schoolboy at Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s hometown Kannur.

On Wednesday, State Local Self Government M. B. Rajesh said it’s unfortunate that the media is “targeting” the government for the stray dog menace.

“The need of the hour is that the present laws should be changed, and for that, we will soon approach the Kerala High Court. However, the media is trying to use this issue against the state government,” said Rajesh.

Slamming the Vijayan government for “not doing anything”, the Congress pointed out that it’s been three years since the dogs’ sterilisation programme in the state came to a halt.

Besides the much-lauded ABC programme failed to take off and barring rhetoric, no action has taken place and hence 11-year-old Nihal Naushad lost his life, the Congress said.

On Tuesday, women in the locality where Naushad lived took to the streets protesting against the “callous attitude” of the Vijayan government on the stray dog menace.

CPI(M) MP Sivadasan said stray dog menace is due to “flawed” policy of the Centre which need to be revisited.

Taking to facebook, Union Minister of State for External Affairs and BJP leader V. Muraleedharan posted: “I was just wondering why the CPI(M) is not attacking the Centre, which is now the order of the day. But I wish to point out that the Centre has notified Animal Birth Control 2023 rules two months ago.

“Despite you being a Parliament member, you should have known all this. The rules are very clear and this is the responsibility of the Local Self Governments. The order might be lying on the table of the Secretary and you should find out why it’s not implemented and not just play the blame game, which is always done,” said Muraleedharan.