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Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis cited a 1988 state government resolution empowering civic bodies to impose such restrictions
Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis the state government is not interested in policing people’s food choices. (Image: PTI/File)
After nearly half a dozen civic bodies in Maharashtra ordered closure of meat shops and abattoirs on Independence Day, the BJP made a clarification amid an intensifying controversy over the move.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis cited a 1988 state government resolution (GR) empowering civic bodies to impose such restrictions. He said this is not a new decision and has been in place since 1988, also existing when the Uddhav Thackeray-led government was in power.
He said the state government is not interested in policing people’s food choices, but did not make it clear if the ban will be removed.
“This decision has been in place since 1988, we have not made any new decision. Even when Uddhav Thackeray was the chief minister, this decision existed, and it is still in place now. We have not taken any new decision,” Fadnavis told reporters.
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Mumbai, Maharashtra: On the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation’s (KDMC) order banning meat sales on Independence Day, CM Devendra Fadnavis says, “This decision has been in place since 1988, we have not made any new decision. Even when Uddhav Thackeray was the Chief Minister,… pic.twitter.com/Rf8Cq3EFdD— IANS (@ians_india) August 13, 2025
Municipal corporations in Nagpur, Nashik, Malegaon, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and Kalyan-Dombivli have issued orders directing closure of slaughterhouses and meat shops within their jurisdiction on August 15. Some of them have said these facilities will remain shut on certain other days, too, in view of Hindu and Jain festivals.
He, however, asserted that the state government was not interested in regulating people’s food choices and described the row over abattoir closures on Independence Day as an “unnecessary” controversy.
“The state government is not interested in (knowing) who eats what. We have many other issues to address,” he said.
RULE MADE BY CONGRESS? NCP QUESTIONS BAN
The Ajit Pawar-led NCP, which is a part of the ruling Mahayuti government, has questioned the closure of meat shops on August 15 even as opposition parties criticised the move.
The BJP, however, said the policy to keep abattoirs shut on Independence Day was originally framed by the Congress government then led by Shankarrao Chavan in 1988 and first implemented when NCP (SP) president Sharad Pawar took over as chief minister.
“Within a month in 1988, Sharad Pawar became the chief minister and implemented the policy for the first time,” state BJP chief spokesperson Keshav Upadhye said.
Upadhye asked NCP (SP) MLA Jitendra Awhad and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray, who have opposed the closure, if they will question Sharad Pawar about the policy. He said during the MVA government (November 2019 to June 2022), in which both Awhad and Thackeray were ministers, the same practice continued without any protest from them.
“Will they seek a response from Sharad Pawar for taking such a decision back then? Will they criticise him too? Awhad and Thackeray should respond to it now,” he said. “Both (Awhad and Thackeray) have lost their (original) parties and government. Therefore, they are depressed and find fault with any decision to target the state government.”
Aaditya earlier said the Kalyan-Dombivli civic commissioner should be suspended as it was not for him to dictate people’s dietary choices. The Congress, meanwhile, claimed the Mahayuti government was creating controversies on “nonsensical” issues such as pigeon-feeding in cities and banning meat sale on Independence Day to divert attention from serious issues.
A day ago, deputy CM Ajit Pawar expressed displeasure over the closure of slaughterhouses and shops selling meat on August 15 saying it was wrong to impose such a ban.
He said such types of restrictions are generally imposed considering faith-related sensitivities on occasions like Ashadhi Ekadashi, Mahashivratri, and Mahavir Jayanti.
“It is wrong to impose such a ban. In major cities, people of different castes and religions reside. If it is an emotional issue, then people accept it (ban) for a day. But if you clamp such orders on Maharashtra Day, Independence Day and Republic Day, then it is difficult,” he added.
(With agency inputs)
Oindrila Mukherjee is a senior sub-editor who works for the rewrite and breaking news desks. Her nine years of experience in print and digital journalism range from editing and reporting to writing impactful st…Read More
Oindrila Mukherjee is a senior sub-editor who works for the rewrite and breaking news desks. Her nine years of experience in print and digital journalism range from editing and reporting to writing impactful st… Read More
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