Former BJP Union Minister and animal rights activist Maneka Gandhi, along with Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and Wayanad Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi, on Tuesday strongly criticised the Supreme Court’s recent order directing authorities and the Delhi government to relocate stray dogs from city streets to shelters.
Maneka Gandhi warned that arbitrarily removing dogs could lead to severe ecological consequences, citing historical examples from Surat and Paris. “In 1994, the municipal commissioner of Surat ordered the killing of all dogs, which resulted in the city being overrun by rodents, eventually triggering a severe bubonic plague outbreak. If all dogs are removed from the Capital, rodents and monkeys will take over the city. Will they then kill another species in response?” she told The Educated World. She added that Paris faced a similar problem in the 1880s when dogs were eliminated from its streets.
Rahul Gandhi expressed disappointment with the apex court’s decision, calling it a reversal of “decades of humane, science-backed policy.” Priyanka Gandhi echoed his concerns, warning that the relocation drive could turn into a “horrendously inhumane treatment” of stray dogs.
