A pork 'festival' in response to beef festival in OU campus on

Hyderabad, Dec 2: In a move that could escalate the confrontation in Osmania University (OU) campus here, a group of students today announced a plan to organise a pork 'festival' on December 10 when another group of students will host a beef 'festival'.

Pork has been a nutritious food choice and "pig-rearing provided livelihood to certain communities" in the country, said Solanki Srinivas, a leader of the students' group in the varsity which is planning to hold 'pork festival'.

Asked whether the event is seen as a counter to the beef festival, Srinivas said it cannot be helped if organisers of that festival think so.

"You eat your food. We eat ours...," he said. Alleging that there is a conspiracy to undermine eating pork by promoting consumption of beef, Srinivas said several prominent sportspersons consume pork to boost their fitness.

The organisers of the beef 'festival' had said yesterday that it was being planned as a means to "save democratic principles" in the wake of alleged attempts to curb dietary habits of certain groups, coinciding with International Human Rights Day on December 10.

Shankar, one of the organisers of the 'festival', had claimed to be a member of All India Students Federation (AISF) affiliated to Communist Party of India.

A BJP MLA from Goshamahal area, Raja Singh had vowed to stop the event, saying cow is a sacred animal for crores of people in the country.

Singh had said that a memorandum was submitted to the university Vice-Chancellor, arguing that if "beef festival" is permitted, an event to worship the cow should also be allowed to be held in the campus.

He had demanded that Telangana BJP president G Kishan Reddy step down from his post for "speaking in favour of not stopping the beef festival".

PTI