New Delhi: The meat sellers’ indefinite strike against the Uttar Pradesh (UP) state government’s ongoing crackdown on illegal and mechanised slaughterhouses evoked mixed response on Monday.
While the strike was successful in capital Lucknow, Moradabad and Meerut, partial impact was reported from several other districts, including Gorakhpur and Kanpur. Most meat-selling shops remained open in Allahabad and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s constituency Varanasi.
President of Meat Murga Vyapar Kalyan Samiti (MMVKS) Iqbal Qureshi told Gulf News that the strike was gradually spreading in the entire state.
“At some places in Uttar Pradesh, the sellers opened shops to dispose remaining stocks and will join strike in a full-fledged manner from Tuesday,” Qureshi said.
The crackdown on illegal meat shops and slaughterhouses was ordered last week by the newly formed Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government led by Chief Minister (CM) Yogi Adityanath.
On Monday, fish vendors resolved to join the stir which has seen non-vegetarian delicacies go off the menu in several parts of the state.
“We have decided to intensify our strike. From Tuesday, all shops will remain closed. Fish sellers too have joined us and are extending support to us. In the wake of the crackdown, there is no question of the strike being called off anytime soon. It will go on indefinitely,” Lucknow Bakra Gosht Vypar Mandal office bearer Mubeen Qureshi told media.
According to All India Meat and Livestock Exporters Association (AIMLEA), the accumulated losses in the last two months since the BJP manifesto promised closure of illegal slaughterhouses runs into Rs4,000 crore [Rs40 billion}.
The members of the Association met Adityanath last week and requested him to intervene in protecting legal business.
“UP has only 41 slaughter houses, which are certified by the government. These units contribute to 60-70 per cent of the total export of buffalo meat, worth around Rs320 billion. The owners of these slaughterhouses also fear closure of their business as they are being troubled by several agencies,” AIMLEA Member Secretary Fauzan Alavi told Gulf News.
Meanwhile, state Health Ministerve rumou Siddharth Nath Singh on Monday said the government has issued no such order to shut down shops selling meat or eggs in the state. He urged people not to believe in rumours.
“Action is being taken against illegal slaughterhouses only, legal slaughterhouses should continue to follow regulations. Those who have proper licences would not be shut down,” Singh said.
He asked police officials not to get “overexcited” while acting against slaughterhouses in the state.
“Vigilantism by police is unacceptable. they should do so what has been ordered,” the minister said.
Reacting to the food crisis caused by the strike, BJP national spokesman Sambit Patra said that the state government was only following a court order as illegal abattoirs were contributing to the state’s ill health.
“Those running meat outlets legally and in accordance with norms are not being victimised. There has been a court order about illegal abattoirs which was not implemented by the previous government. The state’s chief secretary has constituted committees in each district headed by the collector and comprising 10 people each. The committee is visiting every slaughterhouse to see if they are being run legally and submitting a report every day,” he said.
However, senior Congress leader Akhilesh Pratap Singh said that only small meat vendors were being targeted by the authorities.
“How is it that the small shops are getting closed and meat exports are going up? The government should have made people aware of the laws and rules before launching the campaign,” Singh told reporters.
The illegal slaughterhouses mostly deal with slaughtering of buffaloes. The slaughter of cows is banned in UP under the Uttar Pradesh Prevention of Cow Slaughter Act, 1955. The state produces maximum buffalo meat and exports the same to other countries.
Last week, CM Adityanath said that there must be “zero tolerance” in cases of cattle smuggling and illegal slaughtering.
There are over 250 estimated spots in different districts of UP where animals are slaughtered illegally. BJP believes that because of cow smuggling, dairy-based industries have failed to flourish in UP.
