Shut Deonar slaughterhouse during Ganeshotsav, demands BJP MLA

In a strategic move ahead of the upcoming BMC elections, a BJP MLA has written to the head of the civic body and demanded that the Deonar slaughterhouse be shut during four days of Ganeshotsav.

Ganeshotsav is celebrated by a majority of Maharashtrians, who do not eat meat during the festival and have typically favored Shiv Sena in the civic body elections. While BJP is the ruling party in the state government, Sena holds the majority in the BMC.

In a bid to woo Marathi voters ahead of the 2017 BMC elections, BJP MLA Raj Purohit has demanded that the Deonar slaughterhouse be kept shut for four days during Ganeshotsav, in addition to the two days of Jain festival Paryushan.

“I am not opposing anyone eating meat, but keeping in mind the sentiments of the Jain community I am demanding the slaughterhouse be kept shut. I have already spoken to the BMC commissioner who has said he will check the feasibility of the same,” Purohit said in a letter to BMC commissioner Ajoy Mehta.

Per the state government directive, the BMC on Friday announced that the Deonar slaughterhouse would be shut for two days, namely on August 29 and September 5. The announcement was made in accordance with the government resolution issued by the urban development department in 2004.

Last year, a Jain trust led by BJP MLAs Purohit and Atul Bhatkhalkar had demanded ban on meat during all eight days of Paryushan. The Mira-Bhayander constituency even imposed a ban, but following an uproar, led by MNS party, the ban was reduced to two days. The ban of two days was imposed on Mumbai as well.

Meanwhile, Sena leader Trushna Vishwasrao told a leading daily that it does not support the additional four day ban.