Ramchandra Guha deletes beef lunch pic from Goa, says former RAW official 'threatened' him

A day after social media fury over his beef tweet from Goa, which also led to questions about his vegetarianism, Ramchandra Guha deleted the picture of his lunch in Goa and claimed he was getting threats.

He wrote: “I have deleted the photo of my lunch in Goa as it was in poor taste. I do wish however to again highlight the absolute hypocrisy of the BJP in the matter of beef, and to reiterate my own belief that humans must have the right to eat, dress, and fall in love as they choose.”

I have deleted the photo of my lunch in Goa as it was in poor taste. I do wish however to again highlight the absolute hypocrisy of the BJP in the matter of beef, and to reiterate my own belief that humans must have the right to eat, dress, and fall in love as they choose.

— Ramachandra Guha (@Ram_Guha) December 9, 2018

This threatening tweet below is from a former official of the Research and Analysis Wing. I would like to place it on record, and will do with every subsequent threat received. https://t.co/MrG7AVL15U

— Ramachandra Guha (@Ram_Guha) December 9, 2018

He added that he was getting threatening calls from a man calling himself Sanjay in Delhi and that he had threatened Guha’s wife as well.

He also quote-tweeted a tweet of a former RAW official and wrote: “This threatening tweet below is from a former official of the Research and Analysis Wing. I would like to place it on record, and will do with every subsequent threat received.”

Guha wrote: “After a magical morning in Old Goa we had lunch in Panaji, where—since this is a BJP ruled state—I decided to eat beef in celebration.”

To this repartee, one Twitter user replied: “One may have political leanings / views but why say celebrating an animal's slaughter. Sad to see a historian tweet such stuff. What will the lesser-read do?”

I take your point. The photo was cavalier and unnecessary. The argument about the freedom of choice as regards diet could have been made without it. https://t.co/INwqVLJYgT

— Ramachandra Guha (@Ram_Guha) December 8, 2018

As this interview from 2013 explains, for some years I was a non -vegetarian, but then reverted to being a vegetarian, purely for aesthetic reasons.https://t.co/DOzOIi0UiV

— Ramachandra Guha (@Ram_Guha) December 8, 2018

This led Guha to agree with the Twitter user and write: “Take your point. The photo was cavalier and unnecessary. The argument about the freedom of choice as regards diet could have been made without it.”

However, Guha had in the past stated that he was vegatarian which led Twitters users to ask how a vegatarian was eating beef. To this Guha pointed at an old article where he said he became non-veg during his boarding school days in Doon.

BJP – no beef with beef outside cow belt

Guha was perhaps referring to the discrepancy of BJP’s stand on beef in different states. While in the so-called cow belt, the party’s firmly against consuming beef, it has no such moral compunctions in states like Goa or Mizoram.

In fact, CM Manohar Parrikar had said in the Goa Assembly in 2017 that the state’s meat traders got its excess beef supplies from Karnataka.

In Meghalaya, ahead of assembly polls in 2017, BJP spokesperson J A Lyngdoh said in a statement that the party “has already clarified that it (beef ban) will not be imposed in the northeastern states. Livestock is a state subject. It is up to the states to decide”.

He also said beef ban would not be imposed in the state, adding preventing cow slaughter was neither a good economic measure nor had constitutional backing.

In Mizoram, state BJP chief J V Hluna that the Bible allowed the state’s majority-Christian population to consume beef: “When our party president Amit Shah was in Mizoram, we asked him about the controversy over banning beef across India. He assured us there is nothing to worry and asked us to follow our tradition. And, as per bible and our tradition consumption beef is allowed.”

In 2015, Minister of State (Home) Kiren Rijiju, who is from Arunachal Pradesh had said: “I eat beef, I’m from Arunachal Pradesh, can somebody stop me? So let us not be touchy about somebody’s practices. This is a democratic country. Sometimes, some statements are made which are not palatable. If a Mizo Christian says that this is the land of Jesus, why should someone have a problem in Punjab or Haryana? We have to honour the sentiments of each place and each location.”