Maharashtra’s Chief Minister, Devendra Fadnavis, has stated that his government has no interest in regulating people's dietary choices, calling the controversy over the closure of abattoirs and meat shops on Independence Day "unnecessary".
Some local civic bodies in Maharashtra have ordered the closure of slaughterhouses and meat shops on August 15, which has sparked a debate. Fadnavis told reporters that the state government is not concerned with "who eats what" as there are more pressing issues to address. Some people even went ahead and called vegetarian people as impotent. This nonsense should stop at once," he said.
Asked about some municipal corporations ordering closure of abattoir on August 15, the CM, "The state never took such a decision. A government resolution (GR) was issued in August 1988. Municipal corporations take such decisions (ordering closure of slaughterhouses) on their own. Even I was not aware of such a GR existing for such a long period. I also learned about it (GR) through the media. Similar decisions were taken when (Shiv Sena UBT leader) Uddhav Thackeray was chief minister of Maharashtra (November 2019-June 22)," he opined.
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Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has expressed his disapproval of the ban, saying it is wrong to impose such restrictions. He said that while bans are sometimes accepted on faith-related holidays like Ashadhi Ekadashi and Mahavir Jayanti, they are inappropriate for national holidays. "It is wrong to impose such a ban," Pawar told reporters. "In major cities, people of different castes and religions reside. If it is an emotional issue, then people accept it (ban) for a day. But if you clamp such orders on Maharashtra Day, Independence Day and Republic Day, then it is difficult."
Civic bodies in Kalyan Dombivali, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Nagpur, and Malegaon have all reportedly issued orders for meat shops to close on August 15.
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