Why Are Seculars Silent on Kerala Beef Fests: Yogi Adityanath

Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has questioned the silence of secular parties over Kerala's beef festivals in protest against the Centre's decision banning the sale of cattle for slaughter from open markets.

"I feel there is a lot of talk in the country to respect each others feelings and several organisations demand this in the name of secularism. But why are they silent on the Kerala incident?" he asked at a public felicitation function organised by the Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad last night.

"Why are the people who staged vociferous protests over the incidents in DU and JNU silent on the issue?" the chief minister asked. During the beef fests held in Kerala to protest against the Centre's ban, a Youth Congress worker Rijil Makulti and his accomplices had reportedly slaughtered a calf in full public view in Kannur and took out a march with the head of a buffalo.

Adityanath, soon after coming to power, had ordered strict compliance of the ban on cow slaughter in the state, besides closing down of illegal slaughter houses being run in the state.

He had categorically stated that his government will not allow cow slaughter and cow-smuggling at any cost.

Kerala BJP president Kummanam Rajasekharan posted the video of the gory incident on twitter, calling it "cruelty at it peak" and said no normal person can behave in this manner. Later, police has registered the case against Makulti and his accomplices for slaughtering a calf in public during 'Beef fest' organised across the state by the Congress and the Left on Sunday to protest the Centre's ban.

In Kollam district, a group of Congress workers had cooked beef in front of the DCC office. District congress unit chief Bindu Krishna had told reporters that "beef delicacy will be packed and sent to head post office for delivery to Modiji."

At Kochi, Kerala Tourism and Devaswom minister Kadakampally Surendran had participated in a 'beef fest', where bread and beef curry was served.

The Centre has banned the sale and purchase of cattle from animal markets for slaughter and prohibited practices which are cruel to animals including painting of horns and putting ornaments or decorative materials on them.

The environment ministry has notified the stringent 'Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Regulation of Livestock Markets) Rules, 2017' under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act.