Representative Photograph

Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that beef will not be allowed to be consumed in most of the urban areas in the state. With the Assam Cattle Preservation Bill, 2021, the BJP-led state government is mulling a ban on consuming beef.

“In most of the cities in Assam, beef will not be allowed. In a village with mix population, you are not going to eat beef,” Sarma was quoted as saying by Deccan Herald newspaper.

He, however, said that any village which constitutes 100 per cent beef-eating community will be allowed to eat beef.

“But in places like Guwahati, where one or two areas are there with 100 per cent Muslims, beef will be allowed. Even in a flat, if there is a single non-beef eating community, beef cannot be consumed,” he added.

Sarma said that cattle from outside Assam can’t be brought, except for the purpose of dairy and farming activity and inter-district movement of cattle will also be similarly regulated.

On the neighbouring states like Meghalaya, Nagaland and Mizoram where beef is consumed, the chief minister said that “they will be allowed to transport cattle with a valid permit from their government.”

The Assam CM’s stand and activities of late has drawn criticism from different sections including from political parties that he is doing all these as part of BJP’s Hindutva agenda and RSS’s diktat.

On that, Sarma said: “Yes. I am a BJP chief minister and I have to follow the BJP agenda, BJP’s manifesto, and the commitments to the people. So, what is wrong with it? I take pride in that. In our manifesto also, we promised a new cattle slaughter act and people elected us to power again.”

Subscribe to our Newsletter


Avatar photo
About TNM NewsDesk

-

The News Mill is a Guwahati-based digital media with focus on content from across Northeast India and beyond. We can be reached through [email protected]