AMN / NEW DELHI
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh has said that at centre is not against consumption of beef saying his government understand the reality of cultural diversity in the country.
In an interview to The Hindu newspaper, Rajnath said there was absolutely no attempt by the government to stop people from eating food of their choice. “We understand the reality that there is cultural diversity in the country… You must have read what the Kerala High Court has said about the notification by the Ministry of Environment. There is no restriction on what people can eat. After the Kerala High Court’s order, there should be no element of doubt on this issue.”
Home Minister Rajnath Singh cited the Kerala High Court’s order in the case to assert that the Centre had done nothing to proscribe the consumption of beef.
“I believe that people will gradually realise that what they have perceived is wrong. Our party is not telling anyone what to eat, what to wear. If these perceptions persist, the Environment Ministry has asked for consultations on the notification and they will go into whether there are any shortcomings and what can be done to correct them,” he said.
On the issue of imposing Hindi as the language for official communication, the Minister said there was no move to impose Hindi on anyone. “The report is a good one and I appreciate it. Hindi is the language spoken and understood by the largest number of Indians, and strength of numbers is, of course, one facet of democracy. The other is pluralism, also as important in a democracy, and therefore no language can be imposed on anyone,” he said.