NCP Leader To Host Mutton Feast As Meat Ban On I-Day Triggers Political Row In Kalyan-Dombivli
Jitendra Awhad termed the move a 'blatant attack on personal freedom' and an attempt to create animosity among communities
A civic order from the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) asking meat shops to shut on Independence Day has snowballed into a heated political controversy, with opposition leaders accusing the administration of 'dictating food choices" and threatening to defy the ban.
The KDMC notice, signed by Deputy Commissioner (Licensing) Kanchan Gaikwad, mandates all slaughterhouses and licensed butchers dealing in goats, sheep, chicken, and large animals to remain closed from midnight of August 14 till midnight of August 15. It warns of action under the Maharashtra Municipal Corporation Act, 1949, if any meat is sold or animals are slaughtered during the period.
Explaining the rationale, Gaikwad said the directive follows a long-standing administrative practice of keeping such establishments shut on major national occasions to maintain 'public order and dignity" of the day. But the decision has been met with fierce opposition.
NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) MLA Jitendra Awhad was among the first to react, terming the move a 'blatant attack on personal freedom". He announced plans to host a mutton party on Independence Day as an act of defiance.
'On the day our country got freedom, you are taking away our freedom to eat what we want," Awhad said. 'This is nothing but an attempt to create animosity among communities. The people of Kalyan-Dombivli will oppose this tooth and nail."
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray joined the chorus, demanding the KDMC commissioner's suspension. 'Who is the commissioner to tell us what to eat and what not to? Bridges are collapsing, roads are in terrible shape, and instead of fixing them, the administration is busy banning food," he remarked.
The controversy has also reached the state cabinet's attention. Revenue minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule said he would look into the matter. 'We need to check the rule, law, and power under which the commissioner issued this order. It is also important to verify if there was any public demand for such a prohibition," he said.
While meat bans on specific days are not new in parts of Maharashtra, the timing of the order—on a day celebrated for freedom and choice—has amplified its political sensitivity. For many residents, the debate has shifted from meat to a larger question of individual rights and the role of civic bodies in dictating lifestyle choices.
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