Tourism Minister Alphons Kannanthanam with his predecessor Mahesh Sharma at his office in New Delhi. Alphons refused to sit in his designated chair, waiting for almost an hour for Sharma to arrive and hand him the charge. Prem Nath Pandey
There is no country-wide ban on beef and the BJP in Kerala did not oppose consumption of the meat by people of the state, the new Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Tourism Alphons Kannanthanam said on Monday. Speaking to The Indian Express after taking charge, Kannanthanam said, “The people of each place will decide what they want to eat.” Referring to Goa, where the BJP is in power but there is no ban on beef, he said, “People are free to eat what they want, subject to national regulations.”
Regarding Maharashtra, where the state banned the possession of beef though this was later struck down by the High Court, he said, “That’s a state law and not a national law. I cannot comment on it.” He later told a TV channel that he could act as a bridge between the Christian community and the BJP, PTI reported. “There was a lot of propaganda in 2014, that if Modi comes to power Christians will be burnt, churches will be demolished. The PM has made it clear that believe whatever you want, I will protect you. The PM has done a fantastic job in taking everyone along,” he said.
Kannanthanam said his ministry had a “great role” to play in PM Narendra Modi’s dream of creating a new India where all citizens can live with dignity. Spelling out his vision, he said India can take over the world as it is a 5,000-year-old civilisation. “We can go much much beyond Incredible India. We want to create an India where we love ourselves, love a clean India and its history. Then we tell the world, come and see us,” said the 1979-batch IAS officer. “I am so grateful to Maheshji, who has been a friend and well-wisher… He has done a fantastic job in tourism and culture and I am happy that I get to start where he left off,” he said, referring to his predecessor Mahesh Sharma.