Mamata Banerjee on Monday mocked the Narendra Modi government over its now-withdrawn notification that urged people to celebrate February 14 as Cow Hug Day, seeking answers on what would happen if the animals returned the favour with serious injury and requesting the saffron camp to consider Rs 10 lakh in health insurance specifically for the exercise.

Straining to keep a straight face, the chief minister took the absurdity of the tragicomic issue by the horns.

“Now they are saying cows must be hugged on Valentine’s Day. Alright, so we try doing that… but what if the cow butts us with its horns? What then? No, I ask in all seriousness,” she said in the Assembly during her 59-minute speech in the discussion on the February 8 gubernatorial address.

Mamata was referring to a February 8 “appeal” — withdrawn on February 10 — by the Animal Welfare Board of India to “all cow lovers” to hug a cow on Valentine’s Day.

Animal behaviour experts cautioned after the board had issued the cow hug appeal that cows might find the novelty fearful and become aggressive.

Amid peals of laughter from the treasury benches, Mamata persisted. The BJP members had staged a walkout by then.

“I go to show physical affection towards a cow, fine… but what if it injures me with its horns? Will they (the BJPled Centre) ensure health insurance? They should do that first. The (Rs 5 lakh) Swasthya Sathi (state-run health insurance scheme) won’t do, they should give a Rs 10 lakh insurance for this, then we will go about embracing cows,” said the Trinamul Congress chief as scores of her party’s MLAs were seen guffawing.

Several MLAs from Mamata’s culture clan — such as actor-turned-politicians Chowringhee MLA Nayana Bandyopadhyay, Sonarpur South MLA Lovely Maitra, Midnapore MLA June Maliah, and singer-turned-politician Rajarhat-Gopalpur MLA Aditi Munshi — were visibly struggling to suppress a chortle.

“Even without subjecting them to this embrace, we love cows, they are like mothers to us, we respect them,” said Mamata.

“What do they (the saffron camp) have in place of brains, I do not know,” she was quick to add.

“Their cerebral cavities are a major laboratory, international brains, why not put them to better use? Now please also think of something with other bovine creatures, such as buffaloes. They have bigger horns. How about a Rs 20 lakh insurance for hugging buffaloes?”