All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Friday slammed the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) after it directed all meat shops in the city to remain shut on Tuesdays.
Owaisi tweeted: "How can beliefs get hurt by what other people are doing in their private lives? People are buying, selling or eating meat, they’re not forcing you to partake." He added, "By this logic, close alcohol shops on Friday?"
The Hyderabad Lok Sabha MP further said meat is food for millions of Indians and one cannot treat it as something impure.
This comes after MCG in their general meeting decided to direct meat shops to remain close on Tuesdays. As per media reports, this issue was not part of the meeting's agenda but was put forth by some councillors citing 'religious sentiments'.
Moreover, the licence fee for the meat shops has also been doubled from Rs 5,000 to Rs 10,000. The penalty for illegally running meat shops has also been increased 10 times from Rs 500 to Rs 5,000, said Gurgaon Mayor Madhu Azad.
"All meat shops in Gurugram will be closed on Tuesdays. The licence fee for meat shops has been increased from Rs 5,000 to Rs 10,000. The penalty for illegally run shops has also been increased 10 times from Rs 500 to Rs 5,000," Azad told news agency ANI.
Meanwhile, MCG commissioner Vinay Pratap Singh said that "food is an independent choice". "In my opinion, this is an individual choice. I eat, my wife doesn't eat, it is independent. I cannot force her and she cannot force meWhen we cannot decide on this at home itself, the House should think before making any decision regarding the entire city," Vinay Pratap Singh was quoted as saying during the meeting by Indian Express.
