'Beef is not cow': Kerala BJP leader jibes Himanta
Kerala Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) vice president Major Ravi has slammed Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma's move to impose a beef ban. Ravi stressed the need to differentiate between beef and cow meat, cautioning that the ban could send wrong signals and spark communal tensions. "First of all you need to understand what is beef and what is cow, if you suddenly ban beef, this will give a wrong message... Beef is not cow," he said.
Ravi advocates for dietary freedom, criticizes CM Sarma
Ravi argued dietary choices should be a personal freedom. He said, "CM should not have said that. If somebody wants to eat, they should. There should be freedom to eat what you want." He clarified beef usually comes from buffaloes and bulls, not cows. He urged for clarity before imposing such bans to avoid communal issues.
Congress leader sees beef ban as divisive tactic
Reacting to Ravi's comments, Kerala Assembly opposition leader and Congress representative VD Satheesan slammed the move as a divisive tactic of the Sangh Parivar. Satheesan claimed the ban was aimed at dividing society ahead of the upcoming elections in Assam. "The 'Sangh Parivar' governments across the nation are trying to create problems among the people... The elections in Assam are coming... So, this is an agenda of the 'Sangh Parivar' and they want to make a split," he said.
Assam CM announces restrictions on beef consumption
On Wednesday, Sarma announced restrictions on beef consumption in public places. The decision comes after the Assam Cattle Preservation Act of 2021, which regulates cattle slaughter in the state. During his announcement, Sarma said that "now we have decided to stop the consumption of beef in public places."
