Maharashtra’s Meat Ban Debate Gains Momentum: More Civic Bodies Step In, CM Fadnavis Declares – ‘Who Eats What Is Not for Govt to Decide’

by Webdesk
14 Aug 2025

Source: The Times Of India

NASHIK/KOLHAPUR/MUMBAI: The controversy over the meat ban in Maharashtra intensified on Wednesday after several civic bodies, including Nashik, Jalgaon, Kolhapur, and Ichalkaranji municipal corporations, ordered slaughterhouses and meat shops to remain closed on August 15. Similar directives had already been issued by the Nagpur and Kalyan-Dombivli municipal corporations earlier.

When questioned about the closure orders, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis clarified that the state government had no involvement in these decisions. “The government is not concerned about who eats what. We have far more pressing issues to focus on,” Fadnavis told reporters in Mumbai.

He further explained that the state never passed a fresh order in this regard. Instead, a government resolution (GR) issued in August 1988 has been in existence for decades, allowing municipal corporations to make such decisions on their own. “Even I wasn’t aware that such an old GR existed,” he said.

Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, an ally in the Mahayuti government, expressed discomfort with the slaughterhouse closures on Independence Day. Speaking on Tuesday, Pawar said it was wrong to impose such bans. “Maharashtra’s cities are home to people of diverse communities and faiths. If the issue is emotional, people can accept it for a day. But imposing such restrictions on Maharashtra Day, Independence Day, and Republic Day is unreasonable,” he remarked.

The BJP countered by pointing out that the policy of shutting down abattoirs on Independence Day was first enforced when Sharad Pawar was Chief Minister of Maharashtra. The party questioned whether the opposition would also challenge him over this decision.

In Nashik, veterinary officer Pramod Sonwane issued the order under the directive of Municipal Commissioner Manisha Khatri. The order informed citizens that, as per government instructions, all slaughterhouses within Nashik city limits would be closed on August 15, and no animal slaughter would be permitted. It also warned that legal action would be taken against violators.

Jalgaon Municipal Corporation issued a similar notice, announcing that all mutton and meat markets would remain closed on August 15 for Independence Day and August 27 for Ganesh Chaturthi. This order was signed by Assistant Commissioner (Health) Uday Patil.

In Kolhapur and Ichalkaranji, authorities clarified that such restrictions were not new and that there was no ban on serving cooked meat in restaurants. However, the Kolhapur Municipal Corporation warned that chicken and mutton shop owners defying the order would face legal consequences.

Fadnavis revealed that when he asked various municipal bodies about the reason for their decisions, they referred him to the 1988 GR and said they had been following it every year — even when Uddhav Thackeray was Chief Minister.

Responding to Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut’s criticism that the CM was making Maharashtra “impotent” with such bans, Fadnavis said, without naming him, “Some people have started calling vegetarians impotent. This nonsense must stop. Everyone is free to eat what they wish — our Constitution guarantees this right.”

The opposition has strongly condemned the decision, with Congress leader Harshwardhan Sapkal arguing, “The government should not interfere in our eating habits, personal lives, or traditions. It should not dictate when we can eat meat, what spices we use, or how we live. Such interference has no place in our state.”

BJP chief spokesperson Keshav Upadhye fired back at NCP (SP) MLA Jitendra Awhad and Aaditya Thackeray, who had opposed the ban. He reminded them that the original policy was created under a Congress-led government in 1988, when Shankarrao Chavan was CM, and implemented by Sharad Pawar shortly thereafter.

Taking aim at Ajit Pawar, Upadhye posted on social media that the deputy CM, despite opposing the move now, surely knows the decision was not initiated by the current Mahayuti government. He also accused Awhad and Thackeray of conveniently forgetting that similar orders were issued when they were ministers in the MVA government.

“This selective opposition,” Upadhye said, “comes from leaders who have lost power and are determined to oppose every step taken by the government, no matter its origin.”

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02 Jan 2026

BMC Elections

Maharashtra’s Meat Ban Debate Gains Momentum: More Civic Bodies Step In, CM Fadnavis Declares – ‘Who Eats What Is Not for Govt to Decide’

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