Communist And Congress Party Activists Hold ‘Beef Fests’ Across Kerala To Defy ‘Ban’

Communist and Congress party activists in Kerala held ‘beef fests’ by cooking and distributing the meat to defy the Centre’s decision to ban the sale and purchase of cattle from animal markets for slaughter.

Activists of the ruling CPI(M)-led LDF, opposition Congress-headed UDF and their youth wings marched in protest and organised fests across the state. Protesters demonstrated outside the secretariat in Thiruvananthapuram , the state capital, where they cooked and distributed beef on the road side. “We will eat beef to show our protest against the central government,” Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) national president Mohammed Riyaz, who led the protest, said.

While a group of Congress workers cooked beef in front of the DCC office in Kollam district, Tourism and Devaswom minister Kadakampally Surendran participated in a ‘beef fest’ in Kochi. In Thodupuzha in Idukki district, protesters took out a march with the head of a buffalo.

The protest comes even as Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said he would discuss the matter with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Union Environment Minister Harsh Vardhan has said the new rules are very “specific” and aim to regulate animal markets and sale of cattle. Senior Congress leader and former Union minister A K Antony said the notification should be “torn to bits” and “dumped in a dust-bin”.

The United Democratic Front (UDF) will observe ‘black day’ on Monday against the ban, opposition leader in the assembly Ramesh Chennithala said at Thrissur.