BJP Karnataka spokesperson retracts statement on beef

Facing flak from within the party for his remarks on cow slaughter and beef consumption, BJP’s Karnataka spokesperson Vaman Acharya on Monday retracted his statement and apologised “if people were hurt”. At a panel discussion on a Kannada news channel, he said beef consumption was common among all communities, including Brahmins, before India turned agrarian. He said that even today, many communities in the northeast eat beef. “As a scientific man, a cow is not ‘gomaata’ to me. I do not feel there is a deep link between Hindus and cows. But the agrarian families and cows are deeply linked,” he had said, and added that the cow slaughter issue should be seen from the socio-economic perspective. The remarks had sparked off opposition from within the party. BJP State general secretary C.T. Ravi and former spokesperson Go. Madhusudhan were among those who condemned Dr. Acharya’s statements. They said it was not in keeping with the position of the party. BJP spokesperson S. Suresh Kumar issued a statement distancing the party from Dr. Acharya’s comments. Following this, Dr. Acharya said he had opposed neither cow slaughter nor the cattle trade regulations. “It was my personal stand that I tried to explain. But since people have pointed out that it was contrary to the party’s stand, I have retracted the statement,” he told The Hindu. Source: The Hindu