Gujarat BJP chief: no coercive action against non-veg carts

Gujarat BJP chief CR Paatil on Saturday said that he has instructed Mayors not to take coercive actions against those selling non-vegetarian food on roadside carts in the name of hurting religious feelings.

This statement by Patil comes at a crucial time when BJP-led civic run bodies across the state have been issuing directives for the removal of non-vegetarian food carts from main roads.

'Everyone in this country has the liberty to decide what to eat,' Gujarat BJP Chief CR Paatil was quoted saying. Paatil also added that it will not be appropriate to remove a person selling non-vegetarian food on a cart if people are buying from him. There is no such provision in the law either, he said.

'People are free to sell anything that is not prohibited. So, there is no question of removing carts,' Paatil asserted.

Also Watch: Ahmedabad restricts non-veg food carts, Gujarat CM says nothing against food habits

Earlier this month, Rajkot Municipal Corporation had launched a drive to remove carts selling non-vegetarian food stating they were encroaching on the city roads and the public display of such food items was hurting the religious sentiments of the vegetarians. Soon, other civic bodies in Gujarat followed suit and took similar action.

However, Paatil as well Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel maintained last week that people were free to eat whatever they liked. At the same time, the CM had also said the removal of encroachments in cities was a decision of the respective civic bodies.