Vij launches online campaign to assess public opinion

Manish Sirhindi

Tribune News Service

Ambala, October 12

Amid raging controversy over cow slaughter, beef ban in various states and the killing of a Muslim man in Dadri, Health Minister Anil Vij, who had on Wednesday floated the idea to replace the national animal, the Royal Bengal Tiger with a cow, today, launched an online campaign to assess public opinion.

Vij used his Twitter handle and other social platforms seeking public opinion on the issue. “Give your valuable opinion — what should be our national animal? The cow or the tiger,” Vij tweeted in the morning along with an online poll to assess public sentiments.

However, the poll failed to generate much response from the public as only 285 votes were cast till 5 pm; of the votes polled, 87 per cent respondents supported cow as the national animal, while 13 per cent stood by the Royal Bengal Tiger.

Later, Vij told mediapersons that the online poll was aimed at seeking public opinion and if the campaign received an overwhelming response from the public the Union Government, might go ahead and initiate the process to replace the Royal Bengal Tiger with the cow as the national animal. “The democratic government always accepts public sentiments,” Vij claimed.