edited by: Pritha Mallick
Last Update: March 02, 2023, 18:53 IST
Meghalaya BJP State President Ernest Mowry. (IANS)
BJP Meghalaya chief Ernest Mowry made headlines earlier this month when he said there is “no ban on eating beef” in the state and admitted that he consumes the meat.
BJP Meghalaya President Ernest Mowry lost the West Shillong seat to United Democratic Party’s Paul Lyngdoh in the state assembly elections on Thursday. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader made headlines earlier this month when he said there is “no ban on eating beef” in the state and admitted that he consumes beef.
According to the website of the Election Commission of India, Mowry lost the election battle in West Shillong constituency to UDP’s Paul Lyngdoh with 20.07 per cent votes. Lyngdoh won 7,917 (42.14%) votes, defeating his nearest rival Mohendro Rapsang of the National People’s Party (NPP) by 3,485 votes.
The BJP state president had said that he consumes beef and the party has no problem with it as it is the lifestyle of the people of Meghalaya. Yes, I eat beef too. There is no ban in Meghalaya. This is the lifestyle of the people here, no one can stop it. There is no such rule here. India Too. Some states have passed some Acts. We have a slaughter house in Meghalaya, everyone takes a cow or a pig and brings it to the market. This one can be neat. So those who have got used to them,” he was quoted as saying by ANI.
Following Mawri’s statement, BJP national secretary Ritu Raj Sinha said that the saffron party respects regional sentiments. “Our governments are Nagaland and Goa. No one has banned anyone’s food choices.”
BJP national secretary Ritu Raj Sinha says, “BJP respects regional sentiments. We have governments in Nagaland and Goa. No one has imposed restrictions on anyone’s food choices.” pic.twitter.com/AUf8yXjEXF– Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) February 25, 2023
Mowry had also rejected the opposition’s allegations of the BJP being an anti-Christian party and said that in the nine years of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government at the Centre, no church has been attacked or targeted in the country. He had said, “The allegation of the opposition political party that the BJP is an anti-Christian party is just election propaganda.”
Noting that Goa is also ruled by the BJP and not a single church has been targeted, he said, “Same is the case with Nagaland. It is only because of some political parties, especially Congress, TMC and even That is political propaganda done by some allied parties of the state. It is not true. I am also a Christian and they never asked me not to go to church,” Mowry said.
Meanwhile, amid speculation of a hung assembly as three previous allies inch to cross the halfway mark in the 60-strong assembly, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma called on Union Home Minister Amit Shah and asked him to form a new government. Seeking their support, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced this on Twitter. Sarma said BJP national president JP Nadda has advised the Meghalaya unit of the party to support the NPP led by Conrad Sangma.
Ahead of this year’s election, the saffron party had severed ties with the NPP and decided to go solo, possibly a tactical move as sentiments ran high in the tribal state following a disputed border clash with Assam, over which BJP rules.
(With inputs from PTI, ANI)
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