TURA, June 14 - The Congress today held a rally at Williamnagar against the Narendra Modi-led NDA Government for its alleged attempt to ban beef with the Regulation on Cruelty to Animal Act which forbids sale of cattle at animal markets for slaughter.
Meghalaya Education Minister Deborah Marak, Parliamentary Secretaries Cherak Momin and Sengnam Marak led a crowd of about 2,000 marchers on the streets of Williamnagar and chanted anti-Modi and anti-National People�s Party (NPP) slogans. They also termed the regulations as �infringement of the fundamental rights of citizens�.
�Garos and many other communities in India eat beef. Those who consume meat do not belong to any particular religion. Modi Government has interfered with people�s right to eat. Our government has passed a resolution opposing the Centre�s notification. We have to send out the message to the Centre that people of Garo Hills will not tolerate such actions of the Central Government,� said Deborah Marak.
The Central notification has become a major political issue in Garo Hills ahead of the 2018 Assembly election with Congress leaders slamming NPP, an ally of NDA.
�BJP is making an attempt to make their inroad in Garo Hills with its partner NPP. We have to be alert and stop their movement and political vendetta,� said Cherak Momin.
NPP chief and Tura Lok Sabha MP Conrad Sangma had expressed reservation on the notification and had written to the Prime Minister arguing against the new regulation. He had said that the new rules will impose a number of restrictions on cattle trade, which would have serious impact on the socio-cultural and economic condition of the people.
