Kerala BJP candidate promises 'quality beef' upon by-election win
Amid the BJP's increasingly strict policies on cow protection, a party candidate in Kerala surprisingly has promised quality beef for people. Sreeprakash, BJP's candidate for the Muslim-dominated Malappuram, said, "I will ensure quality beef and standard abattoirs in my constituency." He also blamed opponents for leveraging a possible beef ban "to portray my party in bad light".
Kerala - a major beef consumer
Kerala is one of the few states which has no restriction on sale or consumption of beef. Apart from Muslims and Christians, a significant Hindu population also eats beef. One million cattle are brought in annually from neighbouring Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.
Will promise of 'quality beef' lure voters?
CPM and Muslim League are targeting BJP for its strict beef policies. "In some parts of the country, the government is preparing a menu for its citizens, and days are not far it will also insist how we should eat," Muslim League candidate PK Kunhalikutty said. It remains to be seen whether Sreeprakash's promise will help him win against Kunahlikutty and CPM's MB Faisal.
BJP intensifies cow protection movement in other states
Sreeprakash's promise comes amid other BJP governments intensifying punishment for beef sale or consumption. UP, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, MP, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand recently announced stricter laws. Haryana is believed to be mulling its own policies. However, in what is being seen as a political move, it has assured it wouldn't ban beef in Meghalaya, Mizoram and Nagaland if it wins the 2018 elections.
