Kalyan Dombivli municipal corporation's order banning the sale of meat on Independence Day has triggered a row, drawing sharp reactions from NCP (SP) and Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders who called it an infringement of the food choices of people.
Responding to the notice issued by KDMC, NCP (SP) MLA Jitendra Awhad on Sunday said he would host a mutton party on August 15 to highlight the "freedom" of subjective food preferences.
KDMC stated that all slaughterhouses and shops of licensed butchers of goats, sheep, chickens, and large animals must remain closed for 24 hours from midnight of August 14 till midnight of August 15.
The civic body warned of action under the Maharashtra Municipal Corporation Act, 1949, if any animal is slaughtered or meat is sold during the specified period.
When contacted, KDMC Deputy Commissioner (Licenses) Kanchan Gaikwad told PTI that a similar order has been issued every year since 1988 as part of a civic resolution.
Gaikwad, who signed the order, emphasised that the move was in keeping with long-standing administrative resolutions to ensure public order and observance of important national occasions.
However, the Opposition is not convinced.
"I am planning to host a mutton party that day. On the day we got freedom, you are taking away our freedom to eat what we want," Awhad, who represents the Kalwa-Mumbai assembly constituency in Thane district, told PTI.
Earlier in the day, Awhad stated on X, "This is too much. Who are you to decide what people will eat and when?" Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray demanded the suspension of the KDMC commissioner for dictating the food choices of people.
"Who is the commissioner to tell people whether they can eat non-veg or not?" he asked.
Bhiwandi MP and NCP (SP) leader Suresh Mhatre too strongly opposed the restriction, calling it an infringement of people's traditional food habits.
"What one should eat and what one shouldn't is a question of the people. The local fishermen community eats vegetarian and non-vegetarian food. Food habits are shaped by customs prevalent in different parts of the state. The ban on the sale of meat is incomprehensible," Mhatre told reporters.
He said dietary preferences are deeply tied to cultural identity, particularly in coastal communities like the Agri Koli, and that civic authorities should respect these traditions.
Kalyan (West) MLA and Shiv Sena leader Vishwanath Bhoir, however, defended the KDMC's move.
"People are not opposing the notice. What's the issue if one doesn't eat meat one day? The Opposition only knows how to criticise," he said.
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