‘Meat Ban’ Push by BJP Leaders, ABVP Gives Pass to Union Minister’s Feast

A non-vegetarian meal was served by BJP’s G. Kishan Reddy at a party in his house at the same time when mayors of BJP-ruled civic bodies were trying to enforce bans on sale of meat during Navratri.

New Delhi: With leaders of Bharatiya Janata Party and its youth wing Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad actively asking for a meat ban to be enforced during the period of Navratri, a Congress party member has alleged that Union minister G. Kishan Reddy had served meat in a party at his house – pointing to the double standards of a ‘ban’ that is already being criticised widely.

Aditya Goswami, whose bio on Twitter says that he is a Congress member, had posted a tweet on April 6 with images of and the claim that Reddy had served mutton, prawns and chicken at a party in his residence.

The Telegraph has reported that it was “a lavish Ugadi feast with non-vegetarian food.”

At the time, South Delhi Municipal Corporation Mayor and BJP leader Mukesh Suryan had already announced that meat shops will not be allowed to remain open from Tuesday, April 5, till the period of the Hindu festival of Navratri – April 11.

East Delhi Mayor Shyam Sunder Aggarwal – also a BJP leader – followed suit and called for the shops to shut down in this period.

As the move triggered sharp reactions on social media, BJP MP Parvesh Sahib Singh Verma said such a restriction should be imposed all over the country during Navratri celebrations.

Shops in Ghaziabad, which falls within the National Capital Region, were also ordered shut.

As the call for a meat ban was amped by saffron parties, many on social media attempted to point out that several Hindu households do eat meat during the period and that such a ban cannot work in a democracy.

On Sunday, April 10, several students were injured at the Jawaharlal Nehru University campus after a disagreement over non-vegetarian food being served on campus turned violent. Members of the right-wing Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad allegedly protested against non-vegetarian food being served on Ram Navami.