Belagavi: Bheemrao Ambedkar, grandson of Dr B R Ambedkar, on Tuesday lashed out at BJP ruled states against ban on cow slaughter and said that whether to eat beef or not was a matter of personal choice.
Bheemrao Ambedkar, working president of the Bharatiya Boudha Mahasabha, speaking to reporters here in Vijayapura, said, “Whether to eat beef or not should be left to the people.”
Calling beef ban as both unwarranted and a needless interference by the BJP, he pointed out that four of the major meat exporting companies in the country were owned by Hindus and only two by Muslims.
He objected government’s rising control in matters of religion. Calling anti-conversion law introduced in Madhya Pradesh as a violation of the fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution, he said, “The Indian Constitution has given people total freedom to embrace a religion of their choice but unfortunately MP has brought in an anti-conversion law,”
Commenting on the ghar wapsi campaign, Ambedkar termed it as a mere political gimmick.
Reacting to government’s claims that deceased Rohit Vemula, a student from Hyderabad was not a Dalit, he said, “How could he get government benefits to do his PhD, if he was not a Dalit ?”, he asked.