Congress wants to give minorities right to eat beef: UP CM Adityanath
Moradabad/Lucknow (UP) (PTI): Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath on Friday said the Congress wants to give minorities the right to eat beef, adding that this amounted to allowing cow slaughter.
"These shameless people promise to provide the right to eat 'gaumaans' (cow’s meat), whereas our scriptures call the cow mother. They wish to give cows into the hands of butchers. Will India ever accept this?” An Uttar Pradesh BJP statement quoted Adityanath as saying.
The chief minister said they wanted to give minorities the liberty to eat the food of their choice, “meaning they are talking about allowing cow slaughter”.
Adityanath was addressing an election rally in Bilari in Moradabad district to garner support for BJP candidate Parmeshwar Lal Saini for the Sambhal Lok Sabha seat.
Echoing the recent speeches by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the CM alleged the Congress intends to seize the 'stridhan' (women’s wealth), and distribute it among Rohingyas and Bangladeshi infiltrators.
He claimed the Congress in its manifesto has talked about the X-ray of people's property.
"This means that if somebody has four rooms in his home, two of those will be taken away by them. Not only this, the Congress says that it will take possession of women's jewellery, the country will never accept this," he said.
They had made such efforts from 2004 to 2014 under the UPA government, Adityanath said.
"They had tried to give a quota to Muslims out of the reservation provided to the SCs, STs and OBCs in Karnataka," he said.
He referred to the Sachar Committee recommendations, and said the Congress wanted to implement it by giving six per cent reservation to them out of the quota for the SCs, STs and OBCs.
Accusing the Congress of double standards, he claimed that former prime minister Manmohan Singh had said that Muslims have the first right to the country's resources.
The UP chief minister also alleged the Congress is hatching a conspiracy for further division of the country.
Adityanath said it is being said that "bhai-bahan" (referring to Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra) are planning to go to Ayodhya, the birthplace of Lord Ram.
"When they had a government, they used to question the existence of Lord Ram. But the deity is for everybody. This is an example of their double standards," he said.
Adityanath said those who hesitate in chanting 'Bharat Mata ki Jai' and 'Vande Mataram' should not get their votes.
Sambhal will vote in the third phase on May 7.
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Rain might have washed it away: Meghalaya minister after 4,000 tonnes of coal go missing
Shillong (PTI): As the Meghalaya High Court pulled up the state government over the disappearance of over 4,000 tonnes of coal, a minister on Monday claimed that heavy rain in the state might have washed it away.
The high court has directed the state government to take action against officials under whose watch the coal went missing.
Speaking to reporters, Excise Minister Kyrmen Shylla said, "Meghalaya receives the highest rainfall. You never know... because of rain, the coal might have swept away. Chances are very high."
The high court had on July 25 pulled up the state government over the vanishing of coal from Rajaju and Diengngan villages and instructed it to trace those responsible for lifting the coal illegally.
The minister, however, clarified that he was not trying to justify the disappearance, and admitted there was no conclusive evidence yet to determine whether the loss was due to natural causes or any illegal activity. "I cannot blame just the rain. It could be or it could not be. I really don't have any kind of details," he said.
He asserted that any activity related to coal mining or transportation must be done in accordance with the law and that authorities must ensure illegal practices are curbed.
On allegations of ongoing illegal coal mining and transport in the state, Shylla said concrete evidence was needed to establish such claims and that multiple departments were responsible for monitoring such activities.
"But I believe that our people, if it is for survival, might do it illegally... otherwise nobody wants to do anything that can harm the state," he said.
He expressed optimism that people would abide by the law, especially after the government's announcement of scientific mining.
"We all are happy to welcome it, and we want to see the light of day with this. I believe our people will not do anything that gives the court or law a chance to point fingers at us," he added.
The ban on coal mining and transportation in Meghalaya was imposed by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) in 2014, citing rampant unregulated and unsafe mining practices, especially the controversial 'rat-hole' mining technique prevalent in the state.
The tribunal's order came in the wake of mounting concerns over environmental degradation, water contamination, and frequent fatalities in the hazardous mines, particularly in East Jaintia Hills.
On a separate note, the minister also responded to complaints over the dust and debris caused by the ongoing construction along National Highway 6 in East Jaintia Hills, saying, "I appreciate this government for the initiative. For now, it is difficult, but once everything is completed, we will enjoy the benefits."
