Beef party to toast Modi@3

Andrew W. Lyngdoh, TT, Shillong, May 31: A BJP leader in Meghalaya has announced a beef party to celebrate three years of the Narendra Modi government, prompting the party to threaten to sack him on a day it struggled to cope with a snowballing issue by clarifying that states can have their own laws on cattle slaughter that echo "local habits".

"Garo Hills BJP to organise bitchi-beef party to celebrate three years of Modi Government," Bachu Chambugong Marak, president of the BJP's North Garo Hills district, posted on his Facebook page. Bitchi is the Garo term for rice beer.

The post brought to the fore the diversity of India and the challenge the Centre will face if it tries to enforce the new cattle rules across the country.

Several states, including Trinamul-ruled Bengal and Left-ruled Tripura, have said they would not implement the rules that ban the sale of cattle in markets for slaughter.

Marak's post appeared hours before the BJP's Meghalaya minder and a national spokesperson, Nalin S. Kohli, was to address a news conference on the cattle rules.

"The question of having a law on cow slaughter is to be decided by the state and not the Centre. Every state government that decides to have a law or not have a law has to keep in mind the local habits. In the Northeast, people eat beef, so the governments will have to bear that in mind," said Kohli.

By then, Marak had sprung the beef party post.

Asked about the post, Kohli said: "The district president... is going to be sacked. If he wants to leave the party, we will welcome it."

Contacted, Marak said: "We will organise the beef party because beef is our traditional food. We, the Garo people, cannot live without eating beef."

"We will automatically quit the party if the leadership cannot solve the issue. But if the party can solve the problem, we will remain in the party. There will be no support for the party in the Garo hills if it bans beef," Marak said.