CPI accuses Sangh Parivar of trying to force 'vegetarianism'

The government decision would create a crisis not only for meat exports, but also affect the economy - the dairy and leather industries, CPI leader claimed.

Thiruvananthapuram, May 28: CPI on Sunday alleged the Central notification banning sale of cattle for slaughter was part of the Sangh Parivar conspiracy for a "Hindu Rashtra."

"Sangh Parivar is trying to force vegetarianism. This is part of their Hindu Rashtra conspiracy," CPI General Secretary S Sudhakar Reddy told reporters.

It is a "most unwise" decision and the party condemns it, he said adding the course of agitation on the issue would be discussed at the CPI secretariat meeting on May 31. The decision by the Central government was to "attack certain sections of society - Muslims and Dalits, whom the Sangh Parivar hates," he charged.

Alleging that the Parivar was trying to 'saffronise the society, he said what to study, dress to wear and type of speeches and ultimately what to eat were being decided in the RSS headquarters. People should not tolerate this and should fight back, he added.

Cattle meat was being consumed by a large section of people in the country. In Kerala, about 90 per cent were non-vegetarians. In some states, 60-70 per cent people eat animal meat, Reddy said. The government decision would create a crisis not only for meat exports, but also affect the economy - the dairy and leather industries would be hit and it would also cause hardships to farmers, he claimed.

On Narendra Modi-led government's three-year rule, he said it was a 'disaster'.

"Our exports, manufacturing and mining sectors are in serious trouble", he alleged.

While in some parts of the country there was bumper crop, states like Kerala, Karnataka, parts of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana were facing unprecedented drought and the had government failed to provide any relief to the people, he charged.

Alleging that during Modi's reign, the Centre-State relations had "become bad," he said more powers and economic resources were getting concentrated with the Central government.

With introduction of Goods and Services Tax (GST), more and more resources would go to the Centre. For the first five years the states would be compensated, after which they would "become beggars before the central government," creating an imbalance in the federal structure of the country, he said.

PTI