Rahul Gandhi reacts to the Supreme Court's order to relocate stray dogs to shelters in Delhi-NCR: The SC's directive to remove all stray dogs from Delhi-NCR is a step back from decades of humane, science-backed policy. These voiceless souls are not "problems' to be erased. Shelters, sterilization, vaccination & community care can keep streets safe -- without cruelty. Blanket removals are cruel, shortsighted, and strip us of compassion. We can ensure public safety and animal welfare go hand in hand."
Earlier, Animal Rights Activist and BJP leader Maneka Gandhi also reacted to the Court's order to relocate stray dogs: "It is not a doable order. This is a very strange judgment given by someone who is in anger. Angry judgments are never sensible..."
She added, "There is no single government-run shelter in Delhi. In how many shelters would you put 3 lakh dogs? You don't even have one. To make those shelters, you have to spend at least Rs 15,000 crore. You'll have to find 3000 places for shelters in places where no one lives. How will you find these many places? This can't be done in two months. You'll have to employ 1.5 lakh people to just be sanitation workers, which will again cost crores... Firstly, when they go to get the dogs, there will be fighting in every street because feeders are not going to let the dogs go. Every day, there will be fights. Do we want this destabilisation situation? Other political parties will get into it to attack the BJP.
"When the dogs from here are displaced, dogs from nearby states will come to Delhi, as there will be more food here. Then, within a week, there will be another 3 lakh dogs in Delhi, and these will not be sterilised. Then will you start another sterilisation programme and spend hundreds of crores again?"
