Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. File
| Photo Credit: PTI
GUWAHATI:
A Bharatiya Janata Party MLA in Meghalaya has followed Kerala BJP vice-president Major Ravi in slamming the Himanta Biswa Sarma-led Assam government’s ban on the consumption of beef in hotels, restaurants, and public places.
Sanbor Shullai, an outspoken MLA who represents the BJP from the South Shillong constituency, said the Assam Cabinet’s decision to amend a cattle-related law to impose the beef ban was against the tenor of the Constitution of India that does not restrict the consumption of meat.
Also Read: Assam’s cow protection Bill bans sale of beef within 5km of temples
“People eat snakes, rats, and insects as they choose to in various countries. People in Meghalaya are free to eat whatever they like. One of my friends sent me dog meat and I had it with my wife,” he said at a consultation programme with the people of his constituency on Friday (December 6, 2024).
He said he has drafted a letter condemning the BJP-led Assam government’s decision to be sent to the party’s central leadership with a copy to the Assam Chief Minister.
On December 4, the Assam Cabinet approved the amendment of the Assam Cattle Preservation Act of 2021 to ban beef consumption in hotels, restaurants, and public places across the State. The Act earlier prohibited cattle slaughter and sale in areas where Hindus, Jains, and Sikhs are in the majority and within a 5-km radius of a temple or satra (Vaishnav monastery).
In September, the Meghalaya government did not allow a chartered flight of the head of a right-wing organisation to land. The organisation had planned a rally against cow slaughter and beef in Shillong.
‘Don’t spare PM’s vehicle too’
During Friday’s programme, Mr Shullai said that in the fight against drugs, even the vehicles of the Prime Minister, Chief Minister, and MLAs should be checked thoroughly at the entry and exit points of Meghalaya.
“We need to seal the entry and exit points because of the menace drug trafficking and drug abuse have become in the State. Every vehicle, whether it belongs to PM, CM or MLAs, using a siren or even my vehicle should be checked thoroughly,” he said.
He said the anti-infiltration staff deployed at the entry points of the State should sincerely conduct the checking of vehicles to ensure that drugs and illegal immigrants do not enter Meghalaya. He felt no car, irrespective of who travels in it, should be spared as there have been cases where police and armed forces personnel were found involved in drug trafficking.
According to data provided by the Meghalaya police, narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances worth ₹223 crore were seized along the major highways of the State between 2019 and September 2023.
The data also revealed that 5.5 tonnes of marijuana and 5.7 kg of heroin were seized in the Ri-Bhoi district, a major access point from Assam, in four years till September 2024.
Published – December 07, 2024 02:35 pm IST