New Delhi, March 31 The opposition AAP and the ruling BJP in Delhi were on Monday involved in a spat over 'information boards' outside meat shops. AAP spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar alleged that it was a campaign to “name and shame” poor meat sellers.
The Delhi BJP countered by describing the AAP’s claim as an attempt to appease a particular community.
While Kakkar claimed that the attempt to put up nameplates outside meat shops was to harm the business of owners from backward classes and minorities, the Delhi BJP asked her to first ask their own party’s Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann why the name of ‘jhatka’ or 'halal' meat are explicitly written on meat shops across Punjab along with the shops owner's name.
Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor said that it is unfortunate that even after their crushing defeat in the Delhi elections, AAP leaders are not ready to respect the sentiments of the majority community.
“Instead, they are deliberately engaging in debates over meat and chicken during the sacred time of Navratri, trying to appease a particular section of the society,” he said.
The BJP spokesperson mentioned that Kakkar should first understand that the reason behind mentioning the type of meat sold at meat shops is not untouchability, but to clarify the method of slaughter, as Muslim shopkeepers sell halal meat, which many Hindus and Sikhs do not consume.
Kapoor wished that the leaders of a party governing a state like Punjab would have the knowledge that Sikhs and Hindus who eat meat only consume jhatka meat, while Muslim shops sell halal meat. Hence, this is a matter of faith as well.
The BJP spokesperson added that the decision to eat or not eat meat, and the method of consumption, is a personal choice that is also tied to one’s religious beliefs.
In such cases, it is the responsibility of the municipal corporation, which grants meat-selling licenses, to ensure that the meat is slaughtered in the correct manner and consumer is informed, he said.
He also countered Kakkar’ allegation that multinational companies selling meat were not being pestered by the authorities while the small meat traders were being harassed.
Kapoor said rather than pointing fingers at BJP, it would be better if AAP leaders visit MNC restaurant chains where the type of meat is being sold is explicitly mentioned.
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