<p>The beef ban In Assam didn’t seem to sit well with the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Kerala leadership, who felt the move could send the “wrong message to people” if not defined properly. Kerala BJP vice-president Major Ravi said if there is a sudden ban on beef, it will send out a wrong message. “First of all, you need to understand what is beef and what is cow. If you suddenly ban beef, this will send out the wrong message to so many people.”</p>
<p>Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday said that the beef ban in the state would now be extended to include all public places, including restaurants. As per the existing Assam Cattle Preservation Act of 2021, the sale or purchase of beef and beef products were banned in areas predominantly inhabited by Hindu, Jain, Sikh and other non-beef-eating communities or within a radius of 5 km of temples or other religious institutions. Also, slaughtering cattle requires a ‘fit-for-slaughter’ certificate.</p>
<p><strong>ALSO READ | <a href=”https://news.abplive.com/cities/himanta-biswa-sarma-assam-s-beef-ban-has-sparked-criticism-from-opposition-parties-who-fear-increased-social-tension-1735668″ target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”>Assam Beef Ban: JD(U) Says ‘Move To Cause Tension’, Cong And AIUDF Slam Himanta</a></strong></p>
<p>Major Ravi sought to explain: “Beef is not cow… The CM should not have said that… if somebody wants to eat, they should…there should be freedom to eat what you want. We worship cows. I haven’t seen any place where cows are slaughtered. ‘Beef’ refers to buffaloes and bulls.”</p>
<p>Major Ravi also said that there is a huge beef export market in India and most of the factories are in Uttar Pradesh.</p>
<p>He said such diktats of blanket ban on beef could cause communal tensions.</p>
<p>In Kerala, beef is not banned. In fact, it is one of the few states in India where beef in any form is not banned. In the other northeastern states — Arunachal, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Tripura, Manipur, and Sikkim — beef is not banned. West Bengal, too, enjoys the liberty of having no ban on the meat.</p>
<p><strong>ALSO READ | <a href=”https://news.abplive.com/news/india/assam-beef-ban-not-political-says-shiv-sena-priyanka-chaturvedi-warns-himanta-biswa-sarma-against-scoring-brownie-points-1735772″ target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”>Assam Beef Ban ‘Not Political’ Says Shiv Sena, But Warns Himanta Against Scoring ‘Brownie Points'</a></strong></p>