Clarifying that its crackdown is directed only against illegal slaughterhouse, the BJP led Government in Uttar Pradesh on Monday said that attempts to associate this drive with a particular religion were part of a conspiracy to defame it.
The Aditya Nath Yogi’s Government’s move aims to ensure health safety of the people by ensuring safe and clean meat to them, state Cabinet Minister Shrikant Sharma said,
“Our Government is going by the rule book and following the orders of Supreme Court and National Green Tribunal. The action is against only illegal slaughter houses. As far as meat shop owners are concerned, I would suggest that rather than go on strike, its better that they follow the rules,” Sharma said.
Meat sellers, especially mutton vendors, on Monday kept their shops closed on the first day of their indefinite strike against the statewide crackdown on illegal and mechanised slaughter houses.
Reports from several districts said goat meat was not easily available, even as chicken was being sold in few shops.
Expressing similar views to Sharma, another Cabinet Minister Siddhartha Nath Singh said that no orders have been issued for taking any action against shops selling chicken, fish or eggs.