Even as the strike by Goa’s beef traders entered its third day, the Congress on Monday came out in their support, even as the Opposition party accused the ruling BJP-led coalition Government of trying to deprive a large chunk of the State’s population of a key food.
Addressing a Press conference in Panaji, State Congress president Shantaram Naik also said, that the Bharatiya Janata Party in Goa was caught in a Catch-22 situation over the party’s dual policies over beef at the Centre and in States.
“Our (Congress) support is for beef traders because it is a food. We cannot stop food. It is not right... BJP should clarify its position. Everyone knows our position. BJP has a two-faced policy. At the national level they have one policy and at regional level it has another policy. Parrikar is caught in a bind,” Naik told reporters, while criticising the Manohar Parrikar-led coalition Government of not doing enough to tide over a beef-shortage crisis in the State.
“There is extreme shortage of beef in Goa and it is surprising that Goa Government has not taken the issue seriously,” Naik said.
Beef traders in the coastal State are on strike from Saturday (January 6), alleging harassment by vigilante groups, who they allege have ‘raided’ their beef consignments imported from Karnataka, disrupting the business.
President of the Qureshi Meat Traders Association of Goa Manna Bepari told The Pioneer, that apart from vigilante groups, Government agencies along with the police, have been also harassing the beef importers over documentation of the imported red meat.
“We are harassed by both. So many raids have been conducted on our consignments which have been legally purchased from the market in Karnataka. Our business is severely affected. We will not stop the strike until the Government intervenes and a solution is found,” Bepari said.
A meeting of the beef traders and Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar is expected to be held later this week.
Beef is a staple meat for the minority community households in the State, where Christians and Muslims account for more than 30 per cent of the State’s population. Beef is also a popular part of the cuisine for tourists, six million of whom visit the State every year, including half a million foreign nationals. The State consumes around 30 tons of beef every day.
Naik now claims, that the prolonging of the crisis by Parrikar was allegedly on cue of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and maintained that the Government was disinclined to resolve the beef shortage in the first place, given the fact that no action was taken against a religious leader who had given a hate-speech against beef-eaters.
“RSS has a presence in Goa. A decision on the beef issue, may be decided there. But it doesn’t look like the RSS will take a decision in support of beef traders. Nothing moves in the Goa Government without RSS,” he said.
Naik also said, that in June this year, when Sadhavi Saraswati, a religious leader from Madhya Pradesh, delivered a public speech at a religious Hindu conclave where she said that beef-eaters should be killed in public squares no action was taken against her.
“Despite a strong demand from members of public, no FIR was lodged against the lady and Mr. Parrikar sidelined the issue, when the lady should have been immediately arrested,” he said.