UP meat sellers strike may end after talks with Yogi
UP’s lip-smacking nonvegetarian fare — from Lucknow’s kebabs to Moradabadi biryani — is set to be back on your plate as the ongoing strike by meat sellers and prominent nonvegetarian eateries is expected to be called off soon.
The move followed UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath’s assurance to meat sellers and exporters that the government would protect all genuine operators. The CM, who is on a nineday fast, also said officers who had gone overboard, after the government ordered a clampdown on illegal slaughter houses, would be asked to act “responsibly”. Closure of all mechanised and illegal slaughter houses was part of BJP’s election promise.
Sirajuddin Qureshi, president of All India Jamiatul Quresh — a body to whom majority slaughter houses and influential meat sellers are affiliated, said the association has appealed to slaughterhouse owners in the state to consider calling the strike off. “I guess things would start normalising in a couple of days,” he said.
Interestingly, while the iconic Tundey Kebabi shop in the old city remained closed, its Nazirabad outlet managed by the grandson of Tundey Kebabi opened though instead of its popular buffalo meat kebabs it was selling chicken kebabs.
Many of whom claimed they were forced to shut down due to technicalities. The prominent non-vegetarian eateries and meat sellers had closed down bringing the ₹15,000-crore slaughter house industry in UP that employs 25 lakh people to a grinding halt.
Few meat sellers told HT that they were in favor of re-opening only after government renewed licenses and granted approvals that had been pending for months. However, majority of the meat sellers described their meeting with the CM who is on a nineday fast due to Navratra as a “positive one” opening up the possibility of meat shops becoming fully functional after Navratra.
In what may kick off a major controversy in BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh, the Madrasa Board here has proposed a syllabus to teach its students why they should love their country and be loyal to it.
“A syllabus is being prepared for students ‘Watan se mohabbat ka Islam dharm me kya mahatva hai” (What is the importance of loving your country in Islam). The syllabus will help students know how much importance the religion they are following has attached to their love and loyalty (Wafadari aur Mohabbaat) to the country”, said a government communiqué issued on Thursday evening.
Talking to HT, board chairman Syed Imad said the syllabus was being prepared by a committee of scholars after the state government’s Rajya Shiksha Kendra had given its nod to his idea about 8-9 months ago.
Once the syllabus is ready, it will be put up before a standing committee of the Kendra for its approval.
“I would like to see to it that the syllabus is included in the curriculum from the ensuing academic session this year”, he added.
When asked about the need of such syllabus and its impact on Muslims, Imad said the objective was to educate Muslim students about the teachings of loyalty to the country in the Quran and Hadees.
“The teachings are already there in the holy books. We just need to teach the students so that they could tell others about the same effectively in their conversations”, he said.
Mohd Mahir, head of the MP Muslim Vikas Parishad however is suspicious of the move.
He said it was nothing but a saffron agenda particularly after the Uttar Pradesh elections.
The syllabus sent the message that the Muslims didn’t have loyalty with their country, he said.
“We will have a talk with the government to know why this need arose to include this syllabus all of a sudden and will then decide the further course of action”, he added.