Left, CPI (M) raking beef issue for political gains, says V Muraleedharan

BJP leader and Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan accused the Left and CPI (M) of raking up the issue of beef for political gains.

He was responding over reports that beef is being omitted from the menu prescribed for the trainees at the Kerala Police Academy.

"The Left and CPI (M) have been raising many issues, not on the merit but on the basis of the political benefit that they can derive out of it," said Muraleedharan while speaking to reporters here.

He further said that Left earlier believed that there should be no restriction on food has now changed its stance for political gains.

"Earlier they posed themselves as people advocating that there should be no restriction on food. Now they are putting restriction, which shows that their opposition is purely on the basis of political considerations and not on other aspects," he said.

However, the Kerala police department had clarified that reports of beef being omitted from the menu prescribed for the newly trained police batch are baseless.

"As per the decision of the Mess Committee which consists of trainees' representatives and police officers, they were instructed to prepare healthy meals with food available in their respective areas. The aim is to ensure that the trainees get the energy they need through diet," read a statement issued by the police department.