The senior BJP leader, who holds the urban development portfolio in the Nitish Kumar government, made a statement to this effect a couple of days ago when his views were sought on a recent circular issued by the department.
“We are making a new Bihar and this is being reflected in all the steps we take. I issued directions to strictly implement the rules in a recent departmental meeting, which have been framed to ensure proper hygiene and social harmony,” he said.
“We are not against people’s right to have food of their choice. But, selling such items in the open, especially in the vicinity of religious institutions, adversely affects the purity of our sentiments. Similarly, these need to be kept away from educational institutions to prevent violent tendencies among children,” Sinha said.
A senior department official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the rules have been in force “for years”.
“Shops of meat, fish and poultry in the vicinity of such places run illegally. We do not wish to comment on the reasons that may have led to such rules but, yes, there has been a recent thrust on enforcement of these,” he said.
According to sources in the department, meat shops first got the goat of Sinha a few weeks ago when, on a visit to the north Bihar district of Darbhanga, he felt anguished by the odour emanated by roadside stalls dealing in these items.District authorities were promptly directed to take remedial action and, in due course, strict enforcement of the Bihar Municipality Act, 2007 was ordered across the state.
However, in a state where the consumption of non-vegetarian food by opposition leaders like Lalu Prasad, Tejashwi Yadav and Rahul Gandhi have, in the recent past, become poll issues, with even PM Narendra Modi alleging that meat was consumed by INDIA bloc bigwigs during “auspicious” periods to berate Hindus and “appease” Muslims, apprehensions have been expressed that Sinha may have taken recourse to dog whistling at a time when the festival of Holi is around the corner, and elections are due in Assam and West Bengal.
“The rules against sale of meat near schools and temples have been in place since ages. But, the manner in which Vijay Sinha spoke makes it amply clear that he was targeting a particular community,” senior RJD MLA Bhai Virendra told PTI.
Similar views were echoed by Akhtarul Iman, an MLA of the AIMIM, who also heads the state unit of the party.
“These rules have always been there. And, nobody has a problem with enforcement of these. However, the manner in which Sinha spoke, as also the timing, give rise to doubts about the purity of his own intentions,” he asserted.
“Leaders of the BJP would do well to introspect as to why, despite the party sharing power for two decades, the problem of illegal sale of meat, fish and poultry continues. The main reason is absence of proper slaughter houses in towns. And, it is the duty of the government to set up these,” Iman said.
The AIMIM leader said the state government should set up dedicated spots for retail sellers, who deal in not more than two or three kg of meat, fish or poultry in a day.
“They cannot be expected to go all the way to abattoirs set up in some far off corner. Assign them a proper place, taking care that it is not close to a temple or a school, but do not indulge in mere headline hunting. Social harmony is affected by such posturing, more than anything else,” he added.
