“People will gradually realise that what they have perceived is wrong,” the Union Home Minister says.
New Delhi, June 10, 2017: On a day when a special session of the Kerala Assembly was held to pass a resolution against the Centre’s notification banning the sale of cattle for slaughter at animal markets and fairs, Home Minister Rajnath Singh cited the Kerala High Court’s order in the case to assert that the Centre had done nothing to proscribe the consumption of beef.
Speaking exclusively to The Hindu, he said there was absolutely no attempt by the government to stop people from eating food of their choice. “We understand the reality that there is cultural diversity in the country… You must have read what the Kerala High Court has said about the notification by the Ministry of Environment. There is no restriction on what people can eat. After the Kerala High Court’s order, there should be no element of doubt on this issue.”
He admitted that perceptions might persist that the notification banned consumption of beef. But, he insisted, it arose out of a “misunderstanding.”
“I believe that people will gradually realise that what they have perceived is wrong. Our party is not telling anyone what to eat, what to wear. If these perceptions persist, the Environment Ministry has asked for consultations on the notification and they will go into whether there are any shortcomings and what can be done to correct them,” he said.
Thehindu.com
