Thiruvananthapuram: Even as the federal government introduced stringent rules banning the sale of cattle for slaughter, it was business as usual at beef shops across Kerala on Saturday, with people queuing up to buy meat.
According to sources close to chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who condemned the new rule as nothing but a ploy to push ahead with the agenda of the right-wing outfit Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), he will write to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, arguing that the rule is not practical.
Vijayan is expected to take the position that it will be difficult to implement the rule in Kerala and that status-quo will prevail until the federal government replies to the letter.
Leader of the opposition and senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala told the media in Thrissur that his party would tackle the issue at the legal and political levels.
“The Centre cannot infringe on the rights of people who have the freedom to decide on what they want to eat and what they do not. We will take up this issue very strongly,” he said.
Meanwhile, business went on as usual on Saturday morning as hundreds of bovines were traded at Kerala’s biggest cattle market in Kuzhalmandam, in Palakkad district.
“The only thing we are worried is what will happen if the state government implements the rule. We doubt this is going to be practical. Anyway we will wait,” a group of cattle traders told the media.
“We came as usual and started doing the same thing as we have been doing for years. Our customers are also here waiting to collect their packets of beef,” said a butcher who runs a shop at the busy Kozhikode market.
Meanwhile, with all political parties dismissing the new rule as foolish, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Kerala blamed the media for twisting facts and blowing the issue out of proportion.
State BJP general secretary M.T. Ramesh said it was most unfortunate that top leaders from various leading political parties linked the Friday order with Ramadan.
“It’s meant to whip up passions as both the media and all political parties are twisting the gist of the order. If anyone has any doubt on the order, the best way out is to seek legal help. The order is very clear and many are feigning ignorance for taking this politically,” said Ramesh.
To protest the new order, the student and youth wings of the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPM) announced they would hold beef festivals across Kerala and serve beef curry along with flat breads and other food items.
The price of beef stands at Rs300 per kilogramme in Thiruvananthapuram, and it costs around Rs280 in towns and smaller cities.
