No freedom to eat meat on Independence Day? Ajit Pawar joins Maha Vikas Aghadi in slamming ban

'What we eat on Independence Day is our choice….the municipal commissioners has no right to interfere, and that diktat won’t be followed', UBT- Sena's Aaditya Thackeray said.

Mumbai: A huge political row has erupted in Maharashtra after several civic bodies asked slaughterhouses and meat shops to remain shut this Independence Day - a development that left the ruling Maha Yuti divided even as the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi slammed the BJP for interfering with food choices of people.

In Maharashtra, such orders have come from some corporations including Kalyan-Dombivli, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Malegaon and Nagpur.

The MVA comprising Congress, Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) and Sharad Pawar-headed NCP (SP) slammed the government.

On the other hand, Deputy Chief Minister and NCP President Ajit Pawar raised objections.

“One would have understood the ban if it were on Ashadhi Ekadashi, Maha Shivratri or Mahavir Jayanti. But when there is no such occasion, why should meat shops be forced to remain closed?…today it is 78 years that we have got Independence…some people are vegetarian and some are non-vegetarian…for years and ages people eat particular type of food,” said Pawar, the state Finance and Planning Minister.

“Now you will ban it during Independence Day, Republic Day, Maharashtra Day…this is difficult,” he said, adding how certain communities in the Konkan belt are known to prepare delicacies comprising vegetables mixed with dry fish.

Shiv Sena (UBT) Legislature Party leader MLA Aaditya Thackeray said: “What we eat on Independence Day is our choice….the municipal commissioners has no right to interfere, and that diktat won’t be followed! Instead of imposing vegetarianism on the citizens, focus on improving the terrible roads and broken civic services. Citizens will eat whatever they want to- vegetarian/ non vegetarian.”

Congress Legislature Party leader Vijay Wadettiwar said that it is a ploy to divert attention of the people from real problems with government engaging in “menu management.”

“On Independence Day, by imposing restrictions on people's freedom to eat, it is only to divert the public's attention from the main issues. Roads are in disrepair, traffic congestion, pollution is increasing… but what is the municipal corporation worried about? What should people eat on August 15? …this is now going too far,” he said.

NCP (SP) leader Dr Jitendra Awhad alleged that the government was “fueling a vegetarian–non-vegetarian divide” after having “exhausted other social controversies”. “Such a directive could not have been issued without state-level approval,” he said.

Samajwadi Party’s state unit President and MLA Abu Asim Azmi said: “On Independence Day, the government is imposing restrictions on what people can eat. How many people's livelihoods will be halted for a day — doesn't the government know that farmers are struggling? We strongly condemn this.”

“What’s the connection between eating meat and celebrating Independence Day? 99% of Telangana’s people eat meat. These meat bans violate people’s right to liberty, privacy, livelihood, culture, nutrition and religion,” asked AIMIM chief and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi.

Decision is old: BJP

The BJP, however, slammed the MVA saying that the decision of meat ban on Independence Day dates back to the late eighties. “There is no disagreement that the government should not decide what to eat and what not to eat. The BJP's stance is that everyone should respect the sentiments of the diverse communities in our country, which is united in its diversity. Will Aditya Thackeray and Jitendra Awhad, who are criticizing the Mahayuti government over the closure of slaughterhouses on August 15, protest against Sharad Pawar for the same slaughterhouse closure on August 15? Will they oppose it? Will they question him? This is the real question,” asked BJP spokesperson Keshav Upadhye.

“The decision to close slaughterhouses on August 15 was not taken by the Maha Yuti government but was made on May 12, 1988, when Shankarrao Chavan was the Chief Minister and the Congress was in power. Subsequently, within a month, when Sharad Pawar became the Chief Minister, this decision to close slaughterhouses on August 15 was first implemented. Not only that, even two or three years ago, when both of them were ministers in the MVA government, slaughterhouses were closed on August 15, and at that time, neither of them uttered a single word against it,” he added.