'Beef ban against spirit of Constitution'

 A seminar on ‘Food Habits and Freedom of Expression’ was inaugurated with consumption of beef to protest against the Central government’s recent ban on sale of cattle for slaughter.

The seminar was organised by Charvaka Social and Cultural Trust in association with the Kannada and Culture department here on Sunday.

Writer K S Bhagawan, who inaugurated the seminar, said that the rules laid out by the Centre are against the spirit of the Constitution.

“The government is violating the rights of the people. Even in Vedic times, many scriptures like the Vajasaneya Samhite and Apatstamba Samhite mention about the benefits of consuming beef. There are details about consumption of beef in Aithreya Brahmana, a Vedic scripture. Brahmins, who patronised consumption of beef earlier, are now opposing the same food habit,” he said.

“Dictating food habits to people is against the Constitution. As Brahmins have stopped consuming meat, they are imposing the same food habits on all,” he said.

Hindulida Vargagala Jagruti Vedike president K S Shivaram said that governments have no business to decide what people should eat. “By banning beef, the government is trying to accord the status of god to cattle. Thus it is politicising the issue and is communalising the society. Prime Minister Narendra Modi should recall how his own party prime minister A B Vajpayee had announced that he too liked beef,” he said.