Shillong, May 29 (IANS): A Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader in Meghalaya on Monday said his party will not ban beef and legalize slaughter houses if it comes to power, thus reducing the prices of various meat. The BJP leader added that “If BJP come to power in 2018, BJP will not ban beef. Instead it will regulate proper rates for meat and legalize slaughter houses, reducing the prices of beef and other meat.”
“In Meghalaya most BJP leaders eat beef. The question of banning beef does not arise in a state like Meghalaya. BJP leaders in Meghalaya are well aware of the historical background and the Constitutional provisions over hill areas,” BJP leader Bernard Marak said.
“In Garo Hills, beef is an expensive meat which cannot be availed by all. The (state) government failed to regularise uniformity in rates of meats which is harassment to the people. The meat is also slaughtered without proper certification from veterinary doctors leaving people exposed to unhygienic edibles and sometimes chemical substances,” added the BJP leader.
“Meghalaya does not have proper slaughter houses to check the meat sold at the market places. Sometimes even deceased animals are also sold along with the fresh ones. These are failures of the government which needs to be checked and properly regulated.
BJP will do everything that Congress government has failed in its time by establishing slaughter houses, checking meats, regulating high rates of meats and reducing it to a reasonable price,” stated Bernard.
“We stand on the hills of three sisters (Garo, Khasi and Jaintia) which are constitutionally autonomous. These three sisters will decide what to ban and not to ban in their own land. Centre cannot dictate dos and don ts in the scheduled areas as these areas do not fall under the Regular Regulations,” said Bernard.
“Beef is an expensive meat which cannot be availed by all. The government has failed to regularize uniformity in rates of meats which is harassment to the public,” he said.
Noting that Meghalaya does not have proper slaughter houses to check the meat sold at market places, Marak said: “People are exposed to unhygienic edibles and sometimes chemical substances are induced in them which are consumed by the old and young.”
He said the BJP will do everything that the Congress government failed to by establishing slaughter houses, checking meat quality and bringing down meat prices.
