Sanbor Shullai says people should be free to eat whatever they like
SHILLONG, Dec 6: Senior BJP leader and MLA, Sanbor Shullai has slammed the Himanta Biswa Sarma-led Assam government’s decision to ban the consumption of beef in hotels and public places.
Condemning the new diktat, he said such a decision should not have been taken as the Constitution of India has not restricted the consumption of beef.
“When you travel to different countries, people eat snakes, rats, and even insects. It is their personal choice; why should you restrict people from consuming beef?” he said.
Stating that he will soon apprise the central BJP leadership of his opposition to the move, Shullai said people in Meghalaya are free to eat whatever they like.
“I used to eat dog when I was young and recently, one of my friends sent me dog meat and I had it nicely with my wife,” he said while adding that he will never allow such a diktat to be enforced in Meghalaya till he is alive.
Insisting that his style of functioning is different from that of the BJP leaders in Assam, he said he has prepared a letter condemning the BJP-led Assam government’s move. The letter would be sent to the party’s central leadership with a copy to Sarma.
“I feel bad with this move. Such things should not be done. You can restrict a criminal but you cannot restrict people from eating any food,” Shullai said.
On December 4, Sarma announced the statewide ban on serving and consumption of beef in restaurants, hotels, and public places. The decision was taken at a state cabinet meeting to amend the existing law on beef consumption by incorporating the new provision.
The Assam Cattle Preservation Act of 2021 bans cattle slaughter and sale of beef in areas where Hindus, Jains, and Sikhs are in a majority and within a 5 km radius of a temple or satra (Vaishnavite monastery).
Some time ago, Meghalaya witnessed a high drama after a right-wing organisation announced a Gau Dhwaj Sthapana Bharat Yatra in Shillong on October 2 which was aimed at declaring the cow as the “Mother of the Nation” and advocating for a beef ban in the Christian-dominated state.
The state government, however, did not permit a chartered flight carrying the organisation’s head, Shankaracharya Swami Avimukteshwarananda Saraswati Maharaj and his team to land at the Shillong Airport in Umroi on September 28.
The Shankaracharya and his team later issued a statement saying that despite being denied entry in Shillong, he hoisted the flag at a height of 21,000 feet as soon as his flight reached the skies of Meghalaya, fulfilling his goal of promoting cow protection.