Eat beef in your country, then visit India: Tourism minister KJ Alphons to foreigners

Days after taking charge as Tourism Minister, bureaucrat-turned-politician Alphons Kannanthanam has suggested foreigners eat beef in their own countries and then visit India.

"They [foreigner tourists] can eat beef in their country and come to India," said the minister when asked about cow vigilantism and restrictions on beef consumption.

KJ Alphons made the remarks while speaking on the sidelines of the 33rd annual convention of the Indian Association of Tour Operators in Odisha.

The minister's comment came after he touched upon the controversial issue of beef, saying it would continue to be consumed in Kerala.

"The BJP does not say that beef cannot be eaten. We don't dictate food habits in any place. It is for the people to decide," he told the news agency after assuming charge of the ministry.

"As Goa chief minister, Manohar Parrikar has said that beef will be consumed in the state. Similarly, it will be consumed in Kerala," he said.

"The BJP does not mandate that beef cannot be eaten. We don't dictate food habits in any place. It is for the people to decide," he added.

The minister also said the Tourism ministry had a 'great role' to play in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's dream of creating a new India where all citizens lived with dignity.