Mawrie’s ‘I eat beef’ remark draws Sena ire

NEW DELHI, Feb 21: Meghalaya BJP president Ernest Mawrie’s public statements that he eats beef and the BJP does not oppose beef eating in the state, has created a ripple effect in faraway Maharashtra and evoked a sharp reaction from Shiv Sena who dubbed it as nothing but duplicity.
The Uddhav Thackeray faction of Shiv Sena, in a sharp attack on its former ally (BJP), termed the BJP’s Hindutva and love for cows as mere pretence and alleged that its Hindutva agenda changes as per its political needs in different parts of the country.
Hitting out at the BJP through the party mouthpiece Saamana, the Uddhav faction said, “To suit its own political purpose, the BJP changes the colour of its Hindutva agenda and terms it as national need, but the party gets restless when they see others do the same.”
“Their Hindutva wasn’t in trouble when they formed the government in the sensitive state of Jammu and Kashmir with Mehbooba Mufti, who had been strongly opposing BJP’s Hindutva. It’s the same when it comes to their position on the issue of beef,” said Uddhav Sena in the party editorial.
Saamana alleged that the BJP goes all out as the protectors of cows and shouts out at others on the issue, but the party chooses to remain quiet whenever the issue of beef comes up in either Goa, Meghalaya or other Northeastern states.
Mawrie had recently said that the BJP as a party had no problem with people in the state consuming beef and added that he himself consumed beef and that there was no restriction being put on consuming beef in the state. “I eat beef and I am in the BJP, there is absolutely no problem with this,” the state BJP chief had said. Incidentally, Cabinet minister and BJP leader, Sanbor Shullai had also supported beef-eating and even encouraged others in Meghalaya to eat more beef.