'Unfair and Politically Driven': Meghalaya Congress Slams Assam Beef Ban

Meghalaya Congress leader Ronnie V Lyngdoh on Thursday slammed the Assam cabinet's decision to prohibit beef consumption in public gatherings and hotels, labeling it as unfair and politically motivated.

He stated, "I don't think it's fair because you can't decide what people should eat, what they shouldn't eat. If it's done for political gain, then I don't think it will serve the purpose."

Echoing similar sentiments, Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi accused Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma of using the beef ban as a distraction from the BJP's defeat in the Jharkhand Assembly elections.

Gogoi said, "In Jharkhand, BJP suffered a shameful defeat under the leadership of Himanta Biswa Sarma. To hide his defeat and shameful loss, he has come up with this conspiracy. I believe that the way Jharkhand people defeated the politics of hatred and infiltrators, the same way in the coming election, the people of Assam will punish the corrupt government of Himanta Biswa Sarma."

Assam CM, who served as the BJP’s election in-charge for Jharkhand, faced a setback as the INDIA alliance, led by the Hemant Soren-headed Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), secured a majority with 56 seats in the 81-member assembly.

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut also questioned the selective implementation of the beef ban, asking why similar prohibitions were not enforced in BJP-ruled states like Goa, Nagaland, and Arunachal Pradesh.

"RSS leaders have said that there should be no prohibition on food in this country. If they have imposed a ban in Assam, why not in Goa, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Mizoram, or Manipur? Why only Assam?" Raut remarked.

The controversy follows Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma's Wednesday announcement that the government will enforce a blanket ban on beef consumption in public places, including restaurants, hotels, and public functions. Sarma cited the success of the Assam Cattle Preservation Act, passed in 2021, as the rationale behind this new decision.

"We had passed the law on prohibition of cattle slaughter three years ago, and it was quite successful. Now, in Assam, we have decided that beef will not be served in any restaurant, hotel, or public place," CM Sarma declared.