While debates on beef-ban intensify in India, Union Minister and BJP leader Venkaiah Naidu on Tuesday said he himself is a non-vegetarian, and food is a matter of choice. He invalidated the idea that BJP “wants to make everyone vegetarian”.
“Some mad people keep on saying such things (BJP wanting to make everybody vegetarian). It is people’s choice to eat whatever they want or don’t want,” Naidu said. He said that politics is being played over the issue of beef-ban.
“There was a comment from a political party saying ‘BJP wants to make everyone vegetarian’ and there was also a TV debate on it. I told my journalist friends that I was the state (BJP) chief in Hyderabad and am also a non-vegetarian, still I became the president of the party,” he said.
Notably, recent cases of violence caused by the cow vigilantes have been observed in many parts of India. A recent order by the Union government banning the sale of cattle for slaughter at animal markets fuelled the debate on beef ban afresh. While some states follow, some refuse to abide by the changes. This has also stricken agitation in various parts of the country.
