Tura, June 7: The BJP's West Garo Hills district youth wing president Wilver Greham Danggo resigned today over cattle market regulation and "beef ban".

Danggo, who was appointed to the post last year, tendered his resignation to Meghalaya youth wing president Egenstar Kurkalang. He is the third BJP leader in Garo hills to have resigned in the past week after Bernard Marak and Bachu Marak.

Danggo said five mandal committees had been dissolved and over 5,000 youth workers had resigned from the BJP membership along with him.

He said the notification on cruelty to animals was a "good move" but why should the act focus only on the cow. "Banning slaughter means banning beef. But why is Jammu & Kashmir excluded from this policy? Then the Northeast should be excluded too," he wrote in his resignation letter. He termed the new rules an attempt by the BJP government to suppress tribal and other communities which consume beef.

Hitting out at the BJP over its "Nation First" slogan, he said, "We work for our people, not for the party. We cannot play with the sentiments of our own people who trust us. We don't mix politics with religion as the BJP is doing. We will act as watchdogs against any party or individual which/who hurts the sentiments of our people. We will protect our tribal land".

In a message to the BJP top brass, he told reporters, "We were living on tribal land before the BJP came and we will abide by the law of the land. The BJP is a guest here and we are the host, they should respect our culture and tradition but they dictated to us. If you are in Rome, do as the Romans do and if you are in Garo hills, you have to do like the Garos. It's as simple as that."

Call for debate: Former BJP leader Bernard Marak, who resigned as the BJP's West Garo Hills president last week, today challenged national spokesperson Nalin Kohli to an open debate on the issue of "beef ban".

Marak said Kohli's justification that the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Regulations of Livestock Markets) Rules, 2017 has no mention of beef ban was absurd because a cow becomes beef only after being slaughtered, which is specifically banned in the notification.

The new rules prohibit the sale or purchase of cattle in livestock markets for "slaughter purpose". The order essentially means that the supply of meat of cattle will now largely hinge on direct transactions between farmers and registered abattoirs at farm gate.

Marak accused Kohli of "betraying" him and said Bachu Marak, who resigned on Monday night, was a contender for the 2018 Assembly election. "He (Kohli) betrayed me in council election by not giving me a ticket but I continued working for the party," he said. He lashed out at Kohli for saying that he didn't see the ability to win in him. He also challenged the BJP to defeat him in the 2018 election.