“If MNS continues to sell meat for the rest of the period of the ban, the law will deal with the situation.”
Mumbai : Party workers of Raj Thackeray led-MNS took to Dadar’s streets on Thursday and set up stalls selling meat to protest against the four-day meat ban on September 10, 13, 17 and 18 imposed by the BJP-led state government. MNS workers set up stalls at Dadar’s Agar Bazar on Thursday and sold meat and dry fish. MNS’s Sandeep Deshpande said the party will set up meat stalls across the city on all four days of the ban.
The sale was disrupted by the police who arrived at the spot and dispersed the MNS workers. They also detained some people for a short while. However, Deshpande said that MNS will continue the protest despite police action.
BJP’s ally Shiv Sena also opposed the ban. Sena workers tore off the civic body notices declaring the ban. Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray has said his party will ensure there is no ban on sale of meat.
Reacting to MNS action, BJP’s Manoj Kotak said, “The sale of meat was illegal and the police stopped it. If MNS continues to sell meat for the rest of the period of the ban, the law will deal with the situation.”
Kotak said that the decision was not imposed by his party, it has been there since 2004. He said, “The ban is according to a government resolution of 2004, and sale of meat has been banned in the city every year since then, for two days during Paryushan. No one has done anything about it all this while.”
The ban during Paryushan has been in force since 1964, when the BMC passed a resolution to ban sale of meat on two days. In 2004, the Congress-led government passed another resolution extending the ban by two more days.
