In Defense of Meat Ban, Government Stuns With Comments on Fish

Mangalore Today News Network

Mumbai, Sep 11, 2015:  Hearing a petition against a controversial meat ban in Mumbai, a court today questioned the Maharashtra government: "When you are talking of Ahimsa, how come fish, sea food and eggs are not banned?"

To the Bombay High Court’s question, the government responded - there is a difference between mutton and fish.

"Fish die the moment they are out of water. So there is no slaughter involved," said the government’s top lawyer, Anil Singh.

The sentiment, he explained to the court, was that there should be no slaughter.

Mutton traders of Mumbai have challenged the four-day ban that started yesterday for the Jain festival of fasting, Paryushan, amid protests by some parties, including the ruling BJP’s ally Shiv Sena.

The BJP wants the ban extended to eight days, but the Sena says it will ensure meat is openly sold and eaten in the financial capital on the days of the ban.

In court, the government confronted questions about the logic of the ban.

"We have to change our attitude in view of globalisation," said the judges, who had yesterday commented that "an eight-day straight ban can’t be a formula. Mumbai is a modern city."

Strongly defending its move, the government argued: "A Supreme Court judgement says that we have to respect the sentiments of a particular community. It doesn’t matter if Jains are fewer in number in Mumbai."

Like Opposition parties the Congress and the NCP, the Shiv Sena has alleged a political move by the BJP to appease the Jain community in Mumbai, with an eye on elections to the civic body in 2017.

The ban during the Jain fast was introduced in 1994 by the then Congress government. Ten years later, the two-day ban was extended to four days, but has never really been implemented, officials say.

Many meat shops were open on Thursday on the first of the four-day ban, but the government-run slaughterhouse was shut.

 

Courtesy: NDTV