The other day BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said that those Indian who wanted to continue eating beef should go to Pakistan. Here is the newspaper link. BJP's intention to get slaughtering of cow banned in not secret. But imposing ban on cow slaughtering is to impose ban on the consumption of beef. This does not come as a surprise because leaders from BJP and its right wing fundamentalist mentor RSS have repeated made similar statements.
What comes as a surprise is that the statement is coming from Minister of State for Minority Affairs. The ministry is supposed to be looking after the rights and the interest of the religious minorities. And when certain people in the ruling party want to impose its religious agenda, the ministry is supposed to argue back and caution such people that imposition of such religious agenda goes against the secular nature of the state and thus subverts the liberty of the religious minorities. Instead of being faithful to the task the ministry is supposed to be doing, what the Minister does is a compromise of the purpose of its ministry. This is sad state of affair.
Yes, the senior minister Arun Jaitley has expressed disapproval of the comment. But mere disapproval of the comment is not enough in this regard. Had it come from the minister of other department, that is understandable. But given that this is coming from the Minister of Minority Affair, removing him from this ministry would be the more fitting response from the PM.
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