JOIN US But, what we eat is largely an individual choice than a collective decision of the society. So how fair is it when a section of the discerning government feels it has the right to decide what an individual should or should not eat.
“It’s like having someone at your dinner table deciding what goes in your mouth without a clue whatsoever about your own choices,” this remark by a Bangalorean sums up the defence against the controversial Prevention of Slaughter and Preservation of Cattle Bill, 2010. The bill aims to bring a blanket on slaughter of milch and draught cattle.
Sample these quotes. “We should have the freedom to eat what we like. How is eating chicken right and eating beef wrong,” asks Divya, a foodie. “Beef tenderloin comes under the top three most favoured dishes in every restaurant. If the beef is replaced by any other meat it will not taste the same,” observes Vishal, Operations Manager of a city restaurant.
The proposed ban is also seen as an infringement on the freedom to economise. Beef is cheaper than other non-vegetarian delicacies. A ban is expected to push up the prices of mutton, chicken and fish. Many are ready to accept the beef ban but only if the other meat products are sold at the same price.
“Seventy per cent of business comes from the sale of the famous beef rolls. Most of the people opt for beef over mutton because it is cheaper. How can the government expect people to stop eating beef abruptly?,” wonders Shahid Hussain at the Fanoos eatery in Johnson Market.