The Maharashtra government’s failure to ensure the smooth entry of thousands of sacrificial animals from neighbouring states has attracted the ire of Muslim leaders including those from the opposition BJP
Ashok Kumar | Clarion India
MUMBAI – With hundreds of trucks carrying goats and sheep from Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and other states being stopped at the entrance to Mumbai just days before Eid Al-Adha (also known as Bakrid), Muslim leaders including those from the BJP have launched an attack on the government.
Many Muslim leaders have criticised the Maha Vikas Aghadi government, comprising the Shiv Sena, the NCP and the Congress, for its failure to ensure the smooth transportation of goats and sheep to Mumbai.
The state government had allowed the online sale of sacrificial animals, which saw hundreds of trucks heading for Mumbai and other cities from other parts of India. But the trucks have been arbitrarily stopped at the entry points by local officials.
The agitated Muslim leaders in a virtual meeting here expressed disappointment over the manner in which the government handled the entire issue. While admitting that NCP chief Sharad Pawar tried to ensure the smooth flow of animals, the leaders said thousands of animals meant for sacrifice on Bakrid are now stranded along Maharashtra’s borders with Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh.
Interestingly, the BJP’s minority leaders have also launched a scathing attack on the government.
Hyder Azam, vice-president of the Mumbai unit of the BJP, told Clarion India on Thursday that the government should have taken a decision a fortnight back instead of waiting till the last minute.
“The government says that Muslims should opt for symbolic ‘qurbani,’ which is not allowed in Islam,” he told this correspondent. “These sacrificial animals cannot be bought online as we have to check their teeth and also ensure that there are no other defects.”
According to him, many of the truckers have travelled 1,000 to 1,500 km over the past five days or more and are now stranded at the entry points to Mumbai. “The animals are dying inside the vehicles, but the authorities are not letting them enter into Maharashtra,” he adds.
Azam said that there are about five Muslim ministers in chief minister Uddhav Thackeray’s council, “and they should all resign.”
Haji Arafat Shaikh, another state BJP leader, described it as an “utter failure” on the part of Muslim ministers and legislators from the ruling combine to get the government issue clear guidelines on the eve of Bakrid.
But Congress and NCP leaders point out that most other BJP-run states including Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat have also shut down animal markets and banned the sacrifice of animals.
