Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar kicked up a controversy by saying his government may allow luxury hotels to serve beef to foreigners.
“The Haryana government is willing to create a special dispensation to enable foreigners to eat beef in the State”, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has said.
The Minister remark comes amid the Hindutuva and RSS demanding a countrywide beef ban.It is to be noted that recently 52 year old Akhlaq in Dadri lynched for alleged beef eating.
The State government had introduced a stringent law banning the sale and eating of beef as well as trafficking and slaughtering of cows, with rigorous imprisonment of three to 10 years for violations.
The Haryana chief minister clarifies his statement saying, “Everyone has a personal lifestyle choice of eating and drinking, especially those who come from abroad, we don’t have any opposition to that. In fact, we are not opposing this for anyone”.
“We will work out some facility for foreigners so that they able to eat beef. It could be a special licence, no one can oppose under the law,” Mr. Khattar added.
“There is a ban on liquor in Gujarat. But there is a special permission under which foreigners can consume alcohol. Likewise the Haryana CM was asked whether there would be any special permission under which foreigners could eat beef in the state to which,” said Jawahar Yadav, officer on special duty (OSD) to the Haryana CM.
He further said that to the question, Khattar had said, ”People of Haryana do not eat beef and are against cow slaughter. But it would be possible only if there is any provision in the act.”
Khattar had said the opposition to eating beef was not about anyone in particular, but reflected the feelings of the society. Foreign expats working in the state could get a special license for eating beef.