U.P: No meat, but booze allowed? AAP leader questions selective crackdown
On the issue of the Waqf Bill, Sanjay Singh warned that the Modi government would collapse if it attempted to introduce it in Parliament
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh on Sunday criticised the BJP-led government over its directive to shut meat shops near temples during Navratri. He demanded that liquor shops and non-vegetarian restaurants near religious sites also be closed if the rule is to be enforced uniformly.
“If the state government can ban meat sales within 500 metres of religious places, why not shut liquor shops too?” Singh said while addressing media persons.
On the issue of the Waqf Bill, Singh warned that the Modi government would collapse if it attempted to introduce it in Parliament. He claimed that BJP’s allies, including Chandrababu Naidu, Chirag Paswan, and Jayant Chaudhary, had threatened to withdraw support if the bill is tabled.
Singh remarked that India, home to 144 crore people of diverse faiths, cannot progress by weakening any one section of society. He accused the BJP of undermining the nation’s unity. He questioned the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) on why no Dalit, backward, or tribal leader has ever been appointed its chief in the past century.
He further criticised the government’s handling of historical monuments, stating that public properties such as the GT Road, Taj Mahal, and Red Fort belong to the people of India, irrespective of who built them.
Additionally, he raised concerns over Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Saugat-e-Modi’ initiative, which offers assistance to poor Muslims during Eid.
Amid its push to expand its base in Uttar Pradesh, AAP has launched a state-wide sanitation campaign to clean historic monuments, rivers, parks, and statues of freedom fighters. The initiative will be conducted once a month across the state.
