February 01, 2026 06:21 pm (IST)
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Was misquoted on beef ban remark: Kiren Rijiju
New Delhi, May 27 (IBNS): After taking on Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi's comment that those who want to eat beef "can go to Pakistan", Minister of state for Home, Kiren Rijiju on Wednesday said he was misquoted by the media over his remark.
"I only said that India is a secular country and food habits cannot be stopped but the Hindu faiths and sentiments must be respected in Hindu majority states in the same way as the other communities have rights in their own dominant states," he was quoted as saying by media.
Earlier, in a sharp reaction to his own colleague in the BJP-led government Rijiju said no one can stop him from eating beef.
"I eat beef, I'm from Arunachal Pradesh, can somebody stop me? So let us not be touchy about somebody's practices," media reports quoted Rijiju as saying.
Last week, Naqvi, the Minister of State for Minority Affairs, had defended the ban on cow slaughter and beef in Maharashtra and Haryana-both BJP-ruled states-in words that sparked off controversy..
"It is not about loss or profit... it is an issue of faith and belief. It is a sensitive issue for the Hindus. Those who can't do without beef can go to Pakistan or Arab countries or any other part of world where it is available," he was reported as saying at a conclave organized by a private TV channel.
But Rijiju found the statement "not good" and said such a ban could not be imposed on northeastern states, where beef is a popular choice.
"If Maharashtra is Hindu majority and if they are to make laws which are conducive to the Hindu faith, let them be. But in our place, in northeastern states majority of people eat beef. So they also should not have a problem with the way we live. We have to honour the sentiments of each place and each location," Rijiju said.
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