No beef ban in Meghalaya: BJP

The BJP said on Tuesday that it has no plans to impose a beef ban in Meghalaya even as another party leader in the state quit protesting the Centre’s notification banning cattle trade at livestock markets for slaughter.

The party’s in-charge for Meghalaya, Nalin Kohli, claimed that it was the Congress, which was spreading this “malicious untruth” and accused it of

The promise comes after a second party leader in the state quit the party, protesting the Centre’s notification banning cattle trade at livestock markets for slaughter

communalising the political agenda in the state going to the polls next year.

BJP president of the North Garo Hills district, Bachu Marak, resigned from the party over the Centre’s ban. Another leader quit earlier over the same issue.

Mr Marak said that he could not compromise on the sentiments of the Garos and as a Garo it was his responsibility to protect the interests of his community.

He said, “Beef eating is part of our culture and tradition. Imposition of BJP's non-secular ideology on us is not acceptable”. Mr Kohli claimed

Continued from Page 1 that the BJP was anyway going to take disciplinary action against him as he and some others were working to sabotage its prospects. He then went on to “welcome” his resignation.

Beef is a part of diet in many northeastern states and the BJP has been accused by its rivals of working to impose a ban on beef eating in that region as well.

It is the dirty tricks department of the Congress, which is trying to communalise the agenda with a malicious untruth that the BJP wants to impose a beef ban in Meghalaya, Mr Kohli said.

He said nothing was farther from the truth since under “our constitutional scheme, the central government cannot encroach on the area of what a state government has to decide.”