Solapur, Aug. 22 -- MLA and farmer leader Sadabhau Khot strongly criticized cow vigilantes for issuing threats, warning them not to provoke him.

"I am a farmer's son; if you mess with me, I will respond sharply," he said, inadvertently making a controversial remark during his speech.

Khot emphasized that farmers never send indigenous cows to slaughter, calling it a long-standing tradition.

However, he accused so-called cow protectors of extorting money by stopping vehicles carrying non-native breeds like Jersey and Holstein cows to slaughterhouses.

The statement came during a farmers' march led by Khot to protest opposition to sending unproductive foreign-breed cows to abattoirs.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission...