Former BJP president Rajnath Singh has written to Games organising committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi that his party opposed beef on the menu.
The Commonwealth Games organising committee now has to worry not just about meeting the deadline, but also the menu card for sportspersons and delegates.
Former BJP president Rajnath Singh has written to Games organising committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi that his party opposed beef on the menu.
“Cow is considered sacred in India. This thought has been integral to our cultural ethos for ages. No wonder, even the founding fathers of our Constitution also advocated a ban on cow slaughter (Article 48),” Singh said in his letter.
“The Commonwealth Games have become an important event where we should use every possible opportunity to highlight our cultural values and age-old traditions. By removing beef from the menu card, the organising committee would not only empathise with the popular sentiment but also save the Games from agitations and other possible controversies,” he added.
He also says that the BJP-dominated Municipal Corporation of Delhi has already passed a resolution to this effect. “Rules for importing such items will be suitably altered for the purpose. If imported, beef will only be for the guests and sportsmen and not for general consumption,” said Rakesh Mehta, chief secretary, Delhi government. The organising committee has not committed itself on the matter.
The politics of beef is not new in the country and Rajnath appears to be hoping that by adopting this pet Hindutva cause, he could hold on to some of the party’s old agenda.
“With Nitin Gadkari determined to move ahead with a development-oriented agenda, rather than a Hindutva one, this is Rajnath’s way of signalling the RSS that for him at least, these pet causes are important,” said a senior BJP leader.
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