Mumbai:
Battling a beef ban that has threatened their livelihoods, Muslim traders are seeking permission to slaughter foreign-origin Jersey cows.
Because cows are sacred for Hindus, several states like Maharashtra have recently either brought new laws to ban beef or tightened curbs on killing cattle.
The All India Milli Council, a platform for Muslims, now says it supports the beef ban but would like the government to find them alternatives. They hope Jerseys, a dairy cow originally bred in the Channel Island of Jersey, could be an option.
"We demand the government to allow us kill Jersey cows, which are of foreign origin and religious sentiments are not attached to them," said M.A. Khalid, general secretary of the council's unit in Maharashtra.
India is the world's largest beef exporter and fifth biggest consumer; Muslim traders have protested against the latest restrictions with little success.
Maharashtra is home to India's largest abattoir, Deonar, and the state in February extended a ban on killing of cows to bulls and bullocks. On Friday, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis shot down the idea of allowing the killing of Jersey cows."There are no exceptions," he told Reuters.
Since the ban in Maharashtra, slaughtering of big cattle in Deonar has nearly halved to 200-250 animals, mostly buffalo. Several workers have been left jobless and Mr Fadnavis said his government is considering a rehabilitation plan for the worst affected Qureshi community. He gave no details.
Some Hindu groups, meanwhile, are working on the wellbeing of cattle that are likely to be stranded due to the beef ban.
Vyankatesh Abdeo, All India Secretary of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, or the World Hindu Council, said they would protect any breed of cow and increase the number of cow shelters in the state by eight times to 5,000 this year.
"Every cow is sacred to us regardless of it's breed," Mr Abdeo said.
© Thomson Reuters 2015