SHILLONG, May 31 - BJP today accused Congress of trying to communalise the �so-called beef ban issue� with �deliberate, false and fabricated rumours.�
Addressing the media, Nalin Kohli, BJP�s National Spokesperson said the notification, Cruelty to Animals (Regulation of Livestock Market) has nothing to do with banning cow slaughter or beef consumption.
�The dirty tricks department of Congress party is adopting a strategy of spit and run by using the social media putting up deliberate, false and fabricated rumours that affect the communal balance of Meghalaya. They are responsible for trying to communalise the situation,� Kohli said.
Challenging Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Sangma to debate with him on the subject, he asked if the �word beef ban� is present in the notification.
He further stated that the notification has come out now because of an order of the Supreme Court for framing the rules on the Prevention of Cruelty on Animals, which was in fact formulated by the Congress Government.
�If the Congress wants to complain, then they should complain against those leaders of their party who brought this Act. Can the BJP be blamed for implementing the law that the Congress party enacted and which the Supreme Court in its order directed to frame the rules,� Kohli asked.
�The Constitution of India is about respecting each other�s religion and each other�s religious positions,� he said adding, the BJP did not bring the word to ban cow slaughter in India, but is part of Article 48 of the Indian Constitution.
Stating that the BJP respects the federal structure of the country, he said, the Centre cannot change the food habits of people. �It is important to learn how to respect each other�s sentiments,� the BJP leader said.
