Cattle slaughter ban: Meghalaya leader Bernard Marak quits BJP
BJP leader Nalin Kohli had earlier said the state governments can decide on cow slaughter ban keeping in view the local food habits.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Bernard N Marak from Meghalaya has quit the party over Centre's cattle slaughter ban.
A few days back Marak had promised that BJP would come up with provision to provide beef at a cheaper rate in the North-east.
Marak's decision comes two days after Nationalist People's Party (NPP) leader Conrad Sangma wrote a letter condemning the move. NPP is BJP's ally in Meghalaya and Manipur.
Amidst the controversy on cattle slaughter ban, BJP leader Nalin Kohli on Wednesday said that the issue of banning cow slaughter has to be decided by the respective states and the Centre's recent notification on sale of cattle has nothing to do with it. Kohli, who is in-charge of the party's affairs in Meghalaya, said the state governments can decide on cow slaughter ban keeping in view the local food habits even as he admitted that in this state, a majority of the BJP leaders eat beef. The comment assumes significance as the BJP's Meghalaya unit has views divergent to its central leadership since its local leaders eat beef.
(With PTI inputs)