New Delhi, June 15, 2017: The Centre is looking to “urgently” amend the language of the controversial cattle sale notification to clear doubts, Environment Minster Harsh Vardhan told CNN-News18 on Tuesday.
“The language will be amended to clear doubts, misinterpretations and misconceptions on an urgent basis. We are examining various petitions from the leather industry to states and NGOs,” the Union minister said.
Reacting to the Opposition’s allegations that the notification amounted to fascism, Harshvardhan said, “We don’t have an iota of intention to either influence anybody’s food habits nor do we want to affect the slaughter business. As a political party, we are used to listening to the term fascist for years. We are the only party that works with dedication and commitment to serve this country.”
The Centre’s recent notification banning sale of cattle for slaughter at open markets across the country has triggered protests in several states, including Kerala and Meghalaya. Beef fests in protests have also been held.
According to reports published in http://www.news18.com/amp/news/india/will-amend-cattle-notification-on-urgent-basis-to-clear-doubts-says-harsh-vardhan-1430985.html the Meghalaya Assembly had on Monday passed a resolution demanding “immediate withdrawal” of the notification, calling the measure an “infringement” of the rights of states. The Kerala Assembly, which had convened for a day on June 8 to exclusively discuss the controversial ban, had condemned the measure as not only an “intrusion” in the rights of states but also an “infringement” of the rights of people about their food habits.
News18.com further added that the BJP had suffered a setback in Meghalaya earlier this month when a senior party leader, who had said he would host a beef party in his hometown to celebrate Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s three years in office, resigned. BJP district president for Garo Hills Bernard Rimpu Marak quit to protest the party’s “stand on beef” and in keeping with “the interest of the Garo people”. Some other leaders had followed suit. Assembly elections are due in Meghalaya early next year.
