‘These voiceless souls are not problems’: Rahul Gandhi on Supreme Court stray dogs order

In response to the Supreme Court’s order to eradicate all stray dogs from the Delhi-NCR area, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said on Tuesday that it was “a step back from decades of humane, science-backed policy.”

In order to guarantee public safety free from cruelty, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha stated that the animals were “not problems to be erased” and encouraged authorities to implement shelters, sterilisation, immunization, and community care.

In a post on ‘X’, Rahul Gandhi  wrote, “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, sterilisation, 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,” the post further read.

Public opinion is sharply divided over the Supreme Court’s recent order to remove all stray dogs from Delhi-NCR within eight weeks. Some have praised the action as a “relief,” while others have criticized it, calling it “illogical” and warned that it could exacerbate human-dog conflict. The judgment from the top court requires that the dogs be rescued from the streets and placed in shelters that will be constructed by the appropriate authorities.

Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta backed the apex court’s decision, saying the stray dog menace had reached “gigantic” proportions and promising a “planned and systematic” policy to tackle the problem in line with the Supreme Court’s directions.

City’s mayor Iqbal Singh also expressed support for the court’s directive, saying, “I welcome Supreme Court’s order as the people of Delhi were facing a lot of problems. We will try our best to implement this order in the next 6 weeks. We don’t have shelter homes, but we have 10 operational sterilisation centres. We can make temporary and permanent shelter homes.”

“MCD and the Delhi government will ensure that no one faces problems due to stray dogs. We will make an action plan after holding meetings with our officers,” he added, reported news agency.

Animal rights groups, meanwhile, have vehemently protested the action. The directive was described as “impractical, illogical, and illegal” by the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India chapter.

Additionally, the group cautioned that evicting Delhi’s communal dogs by force would result in “chaos and suffering” for both the animals and locals.