‘Paradox on Independence Day’: Raj Thackeray says govt can’t decide what people eat

While opposition leaders, including Thackeray, have criticised the ban, the ruling alliance in Maharashtra is split.

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) president Raj Thackeray on Thursday came out strongly against the meat ban imposed by some municipal corporations in the state on Independence Day, saying the government and civic bodies have no right to decide what people should eat.

“The government and civic bodies should not decide what one should eat and what one should not. We are celebrating Independence Day, and there is no independence in choosing what to eat. Bringing any ban on Independence Day is a paradox,” Thackeray told reporters.

Civic orders in multiple cities

Municipal corporations in Nagpur, Nashik, Malegaon, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, and Kalyan-Dombivli have ordered slaughterhouses and meat shops to remain closed on August 15. Some have extended the closure to other days during Hindu and Jain festivals.

Political divide on the issue

While opposition leaders, including Thackeray, have criticised the ban, the ruling alliance in Maharashtra is split. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Wednesday that the government was “not interested in policing people’s food choices.”

The BJP, however, has defended the move, pointing out that the policy of keeping abattoirs shut on Independence Day was first introduced in 1988 under then Chief Minister Sharad Pawar, who now heads the NCP (Sharad Pawar faction). The party questioned whether the opposition would confront Pawar over the decision.

The meat ban controversy has reignited the long-running debate over whether governments should intervene in citizens’ dietary preferences, especially on national and religious occasions.