Rajkumar Badole says that people must be given the freedom to decide what they want to eat
The controversial issue of beef ban, which has angered the minority communities and now snowballed into aggressive cow vigilantism with rising cases of Dalit atrocities, seems to have gained some dissent voices among the NDA ministers at the Centre and in Maharashtra.
A day after Union minister of state for social Justice Ramdas Athawale expressed his views against the beef ban, his counter part in Maharashtra echoed similar sentiments.
Speaking to dna on Tuesday, senior BJP leader and social justice minister Rajkumar Badole said, "What is wrong in Athawale's statement? I feel he is right. Beef ban is wrong."
"Let people decide what they want to eat. If someone wants to eat beef, it's fine," said Badole, insisting that this is "my view".
He also added that the law was not aimed at any community in particular.
People should be allowed to eat the meat of bulls and bullocks for its high protein, Athawale had said on Monday, after BJP parliamentarian Udit Raj linked sprint legend Usain Bolt's success to beef eating.
Most of the states in India have in place some regulations regarding culling of milch animals.
Imposing complete ban on slaughter of cow and its progeny was the one of the early decisions taken by the Fadnavis government in the state.
The Maharashtra Animal Preservation (Amendment) Bill 1995, which was pending before President for his assent for 20 years, and made into an Act in 2015 prohibits slaughter of cow progeny – cows, bulls and bullocks – in the state. Anyone found selling beef or in possession of it can be jailed up to five years and fined up to Rs 10,000.
Badole confirmed that he was still getting requests from the Dalit leaders for revoking the ban as their livelihood was dependent on cow slaughter, beef and leather business.
What does he plan to do to help those people? Will he ask the chief minister to reconsider the decision?
"What can I do now?" Badole retorted, expressing his helplessness.
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