"Constitution Allows To Eat Meat When I Like": What Mahua Moitra Said Amid Food Policing Row

Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra has joined the list of those opposing the South Delhi Municipal Corporation's (SDMC) order forcing meat shops under the civic body's limits to remain close during the nine days of Navratri.

"I live in South Delhi. The Constitution allows me to eat meat when I like and the shopkeeper the freedom to run his trade. Full stop," the Lok Sabha MP from Krishnanagar, West Bengal said on Twitter.

I live in South Delhi.
The Constitution allows me to eat meat when I like and the shopkeeper the freedom to run his trade.

Full stop.

¡ª Mahua Moitra (@MahuaMoitra) April 6, 2022

SDMC wants meat shops to remain shut

Mayor Mukesh Suryan had on Monday asked the SDMC commissioner to shut meat shops during Navratri, between April 2-11.

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¡°All the shops will be kept shut without any exception. I have issued direction to the commissioner that open display of meat is hurting the religious beliefs, and he will take further action,¡±

He then went on to make bizarre claims like 99% per cent of Delhi households don't even eat onion or garlic during Navratri, to justify the ban on the sale of meat.

During Navratri, 99% of households in Delhi don't even use garlic & onion, so we've decided that no meat shops will be open in South MCD; the decision will be implemented from tomorrow. Fine will be imposed on violators: Mukkesh Suryaan, Mayor of South Delhi Municipal Corporation pic.twitter.com/zGCw3dOW4R

¡ª ANI (@ANI) April 4, 2022

Please shut liquor shop also

Suryan also wrote to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and urged him to issue orders to shut liquor shops during the festival of Navratri till April 11.

In his letter to Kejriwal, Suryan said that "religious sentiments of devotees are affected" when they come across liquor shops on their way to temples to offer daily prayers to goddess Durga during Navratri.

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"Keeping in view the sentiments and feelings of the general public, please issue necessary directions to officials to shut liquor shops during the Navratri (from April 2 to 11) and also take action against those drinking outside such shops," Suryan said in his letter.

Order not implemented yet

While Suryan said he has directed Municipal Commissioner to ensure that all meat shops remain close, the civic body has not yet implemented the order.

Shops selling meat under SDMC limits had remained open on Tuesday and Wednesday.

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Many across the country criticized the move and questioned the logic of meat ban.

National Conference leader Omar Abdullah said that going by the same logic of the 'majority', everybody in J&K should be banned from eating in public during Ramzan.

During Ramzan we don¡¯t eat between sunrise & sunset. I suppose it¡¯s OK if we ban every non-Muslim resident or tourist from eating in public, especially in the Muslim dominated areas. If majoritarianism is right for South Delhi, it has to be right for J&K. https://t.co/G5VQylmMvB

¡ª Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) April 5, 2022

"During Ramzan, we don¡¯t eat between sunrise and sunset. I suppose it¡¯s OK if we ban every non-Muslim resident or tourist from eating in public, especially in the Muslim dominated areas. If majoritarianism is right for South Delhi, it has to be right for J&K," he asked in a tweet.

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Not just SDMC

It is not just SDMC, on Tuesday, Shyam Sunder Aggarwal, mayor of East Delhi also backed the meat ban during Navratri.

"I have appealed to all meat sellers to understand Hindu sentiments and close their shops on those days," Agarwal told news agency ANI while asserting that as of now it is an appeal.

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