<p>A day after kicking up a storm with his "quality beef" remark, Sreeprakash, the BJP candidate in the Malappuram by-poll today made it clear that he was against cow slaughter and he stood by the party's national policy on the matter, even as the state leadership said a clarification would be sought from him.<br /><br />Sreeprakash had reportedly said in Malappuram yesterday that he would offer "quality beef" in the district if voted to Parliament in the April 12 by-poll and that slaughterhouses would be made air-conditioned to ensure the quality of meat.<br /><br />Amidst hectic electioneering, he told PTI today that his words have been distorted and what he meant was providing quality food to the people. "My words have been distorted. I am against cow slaughter. The abattoirs that have been shut in Uttar Pradesh were illegal. What I meant was quality food should be provided to the people," Sreeprakash said, adding that it was up to the Kerala government to decide whether or not to ban beef.<br /><br />Meanwhile, an embarrassed state BJP leadership distanced itself from the controversial statement of Sreeprakash and said a clarification would be sought from him.<br /><br />"I do not know what exactly has he said but I will ask him about it. I am on my way to Malappuram," Kerala BJP president Kummanam Rajasekharan told PTI.<br /><br />"We do not have a separate stand on the issue. We (state leadership) go by the national party policy. However, I need to know what the candidate has exactly said. What I understand is that he talked about modernising the abattoirs," he added.<br /><br />There are several slaughterhouses functioning illegally, Rajasekharan said, adding that Sreeprakash had talked about efforts to legalise and modernise them. "Food is a matter of individual preference. People follow different food habits in Kerala. It is not an issue to be discussed at the time of elections," he said.</p>
<p>A day after kicking up a storm with his "quality beef" remark, Sreeprakash, the BJP candidate in the Malappuram by-poll today made it clear that he was against cow slaughter and he stood by the party's national policy on the matter, even as the state leadership said a clarification would be sought from him.<br /><br />Sreeprakash had reportedly said in Malappuram yesterday that he would offer "quality beef" in the district if voted to Parliament in the April 12 by-poll and that slaughterhouses would be made air-conditioned to ensure the quality of meat.<br /><br />Amidst hectic electioneering, he told PTI today that his words have been distorted and what he meant was providing quality food to the people. "My words have been distorted. I am against cow slaughter. The abattoirs that have been shut in Uttar Pradesh were illegal. What I meant was quality food should be provided to the people," Sreeprakash said, adding that it was up to the Kerala government to decide whether or not to ban beef.<br /><br />Meanwhile, an embarrassed state BJP leadership distanced itself from the controversial statement of Sreeprakash and said a clarification would be sought from him.<br /><br />"I do not know what exactly has he said but I will ask him about it. I am on my way to Malappuram," Kerala BJP president Kummanam Rajasekharan told PTI.<br /><br />"We do not have a separate stand on the issue. We (state leadership) go by the national party policy. However, I need to know what the candidate has exactly said. What I understand is that he talked about modernising the abattoirs," he added.<br /><br />There are several slaughterhouses functioning illegally, Rajasekharan said, adding that Sreeprakash had talked about efforts to legalise and modernise them. "Food is a matter of individual preference. People follow different food habits in Kerala. It is not an issue to be discussed at the time of elections," he said.</p>