"Government Not Interested In Regulating People’s Food Choices": CM Devendra Fadnavis on Independence Day Meat Ban Row

Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday called the controversy over the closure of abattoirs and meat shops on Independence Day “unnecessary.” He said the state government has no interest in regulating what people eat. Fadnavis said he was unaware of a 37-year-old government resolution allowing municipal corporations to close slaughterhouses on certain days, including August 15. He said municipal corporations make such decisions independently. The Chief Minister added that similar orders were also issued during Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray’s tenure as chief minister.

“The state government is not interested in (knowing) who eats what. We have many other issues to address,” Fadnavis told reporters here. “Some people even went ahead and called vegetarian people as impotent. This nonsense should stop at once,” he said. “The state never took such a decision. A government resolution (GR) was issued in August 1988. Municipal corporations take such decisions (ordering closure of slaughterhouses) on their own. Even I was not aware of such a GR existing for such a long period.” “I also learned about it (GR) through the media. Similar decisions were taken when (Shiv Sena UBT leader) Uddhav Thackeray was chief minister of Maharashtra (November 2019-June 22),” he opined.

Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray criticised the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation order, saying citizens have the right to eat non-vegetarian food. He said the closure is neither a matter of religion nor of national interest and called for the suspension of the municipal commissioner.

Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar criticised the closures, saying such bans are generally imposed only for religious occasions like Ashadhi Ekadashi, Mahashivratri and Mahavir Jayanti. He said imposing the ban on national holidays such as Maharashtra Day, Independence Day and Republic Day is difficult because major cities are home to people of different religions and castes.

In addition to Kalyan-Dombivli, the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Municipal Corporation banned animal slaughter and meat sales on August 15 and 20. Reports also indicate that the Malegaon Municipal Corporation in Nashik district has issued a similar order.

(With inputs from agencies)