Don't use law to ban beef consumption: Goa CM

Goa Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar has said that if beef is part of someone's cuisine, the law should not be used to ban its consumption, adding that as the political head of the state he respected the sentiments of the minorities on the issue.

He said the Bharatiya Janata Party will come around to accepting this view in the days to come, adding that the cultural and culinary habits should not be meddled with.

Even the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh in Goa did not contradict his views on the subject, the Chief Minister said while speaking during 'Walk the Talk', a popular talk show broadcast on Saturday by a national English news channel.

"If one thing is a part of his (someone's) cuisine, I should not oppose it. Finally, it is his discretion. He is not compelling me. He is not forcing me... when it is a part of somebody's cuisine, I cannot use law against it. I will not do that," Parsekar said on the beef controversy.

Asked how he tackled the beef issue as the Chief Minister of Goa, where Christian and Muslims account for more than 30 per cent of the state's population, he said it was natural for him to respect the sentiments of the minorities.

"It was just natural for me. I did not tackle it in a political manner. My feeling was: We (should) respect each other's sentiments, each other's feelings," he said.

Asked if the BJP should accept and acknowledge his views on tolerance vis-a-vis beef-eating at the national level, Parsekar said: "In the days to come."

"My view has not been contradicted by any RSS volunteer or official (so far)," Parsekar said.

The beef consumption issue gained nationwide attention after a mob lynched 52-year-old Mohammad Akhlaq and injured his son Danish after dragging them out of their home in Bishada village in Gautam Budh Nagar district of Uttar Pradesh on September 28, 2015, following rumours that they had slaughtered a cow and consumed beef.

--IANS

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