Fine with beef in absence of any ban: BJP leader M.T. Ramesh

Thiruvananthapuram: A senior Kerala BJP leader on Sunday said the party's state unit holds nothing against consumption of beef in the southern state since there is no ban on it.

"As long as Kerala does not have a beef ban and people eat what they want, the BJP state unit is not against its consumption. The issue comes into play when there is a ban. Currently, there is no ban and hence nothing against the law," Bharatiya Janata Party's state General Secretary M.T. Ramesh told IANS.

Ramesh said only cow slaughter is banned in various parts of the country.

His stand came after the party's Malappuram Lok Sabha bye-election candidate N. Sriprakash told the media on Saturday that there is nothing wrong in choosing food of one's liking and that he would ensure setting up of legal slaughterhouses in the constituency in case he was elected to the Lok Sabha.

"Cow meat is banned in most parts of the country while buffalo meat is not. As far as Kerala is concerned, there is no ban and hence what Sriprakash said is not against the law in Kerala," Ramesh said.