Chhattisgarh Congress has demanded Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel to allow for the audit of funds and lands allocated to Gaushalas (cow shelters) during the previous Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Government in the State.

The Chairman of the Communication Department of Chhattisgarh Pradesh Congress Committee (CPCC), Sushil Anand Shukla, made this announcement during a press conference held at the state Congress party office Rajiv Bhawan in the State Capital.

Shukla stated that the funds and lands allocated to Gaushalas during the previous government should be audited. He also emphasised that lands currently being used by BJP leaders for private purposes under the guise of Gaushalas should be attached to Gothans (pasturelands). Shukla highlighted that the Congress Government in Chhattisgarh is only government in the country actively supporting Gauseva by establishing Gothans for the welfare of cows and other animals. He further mentioned that the BJP is criticising the Congress Government’s Godhan Nyay Yojana which aims to support livestock farmers and improve the quality of cattle in the State. Shukla accused the BJP of running a campaign to defame Gothans, while the Gothans and the Godhan Nyay Yojana are receiving praise nationwide. Shukla criticised the BJP, stating that they do not understand the basic difference between Gothan and Gaushala. He emphasised that Gothan is an age-old tradition in Chhattisgarh, and the Congress government has focused on beautifying these traditional pasturelands in villages. Shukla claimed that the BJP leaders misappropriated Rs 1677.67 crore, which was allocated to Gaushalas during the previous Dr Raman Singh government. He alleged that over 17,000 cows died due to lack of food, fodder, and water during that time.

Under Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel’s leadership, the Chhattisgarh Government has approved 10,894 Gothans in the State, out of which 9,591 Gothans have been constructed. Through these Gothans, approximately 3,50,000 acres of land have been reserved for pastures across the entire State. Shukla contrasted this with the previous Dr Raman Singh government, which transferred only 1,000 acres of government land. He praised the Congress Government for reserving around 3.5 lakh acres of land for this purpose. Several other Congress party members, including State Congress In-charge General Secretary (Administration) Ravi Ghosh and State Congress Spokespersons R P Singh, Dhananjay Singh Thakur, Ghanshyam Rajut Tiwari, Nitin Bhansali, Ajay Sahu, Surendra Verma, and Mani Prakash Vaishnav, were present at the press conference.