GUWAHATI, MARCH 27 (HT): Amid a crackdown in Uttar Pradesh by the new BJP government to enforce a ban on cow slaughter and illegal abattoirs, the party has clarified that a similar rule would not be imposed in three northeastern states which go to polls next year. Beef is widely consumed in Christian majority Meghalaya, Mizoram and Nagaland and the drive against illegal abattoirs in UP has had repercussions in these states. To put speculations to rest, the party’s Meghalaya unit general secretary David Kharsati issued a statement on Sunday blaming “groups with vested interest” for spreading rumours. “Ban on cow slaughter like the one in UP won’t take effect in Nagaland if our party comes to power next year. The reality here is very different and our central leaders are aware of that,” Nagaland BJP chief Visasolie Lhoungu told Hindustan Times. As per 2011 census nearly 88% of Nagaland’s population of around 2 million, are Christians. The figure is 87% for Mizoram and nearly 75% for Meghalaya. Congress is in power in Meghalaya and Mizoram while BJP is a minor partner in the Naga People’s Front-led Democratic Alliance of Nagaland (DAN) coalition in Nagaland. “There would be no ban on cow slaughter in Mizoram and other states in the region where there is a majority Christian population,” Mizoram BJP president JV Hluna said. Fresh from the electoral victory in Manipur, where the saffron party managed to set up its first government with the help of smaller parties, BJP is looking to repeat similar successes in the three states.
