 "BJP climbs down on meat ban")
The four-day ban in Mumbai has now been reduced to two days during Paryushan Parva, an eight-day period during which members of the Jain community observe fast and pray (between September 10 and 18).
The BJP tried to project itself as the patron of the mercantile community largely Gujarati and Jain and further consolidate its vote base in Greater Mumbai. BJP, who ditched Shiv Sena in the assembly poll and later realigned with the latter in the government, wanted to reassert its big brother position.
Despite both being together in the government, they have squabbled against each other on multiple occasions since the government formation. Shiv Sena is sulking over BJP's neglect during the functioning of the government and not meeting its demand for fair distribution of various government corporations among allies.
Meat ban gave an opportunity for Shiv Sena and MNS to revive the Marathi versus Gujarati debate. Both the parties led a scathing attack against BJP and also targeted the Jain community threatening them not to dictate their food habits on others.
As expected, Congress and NCP, who have yet to recover from the humiliating defeat in the state assembly poll held last year, also entered in the fray lambasting BJP on this issue. Congress and NCP dubbed it as a BJP ploy to polarise voters with an eye on the elections to the civic body due in early 2017.
It all started after BJP succeeded to first impose an eight day ban in the jurisdiction of Mira Bhayander Municipal Corporation in the western suburb by keeping the ruling ally Shiv Sena in dark. Incidentally, the civic body's decision in Mira Bhaynder locality even caught the BJP led government unawares.
The state revenue minister and senior BJP leader Eknath Khadse disowned civic body's decision stating that the government has nothing to do. But the local party leaders were adamant. BJP turned defensive on this issue when the chief minister Devendra Fadnavis was visitng Japan to attract investment in the state.
However, protest by Shiv Sena and opposition forced the Mira Bhayander civic body to restrict mean ban for four days instead of eight days.
Incidentally, the meat ban further exposed the widening rift between Shiv Sena and BJP. The otherwise cool headed Sena president Uddhav Thackeray, who took a centre stage, took a strident position saying that, "We will ensure there is no ban on sale of meat for the eight days."
In the party mouth piece Saamna, the party told Jains to rein in their "fanaticism". "Muslims at least have Pakistan for them. But if this fanaticism of Jains keeps on increasing, what land do you have to go to? If you mess with the sons of the soil, you will have to eat dirt. It will not take much time to burn down your financial empire."
But the Mumbai city BJP chief Ashish Shelar took on Uddhav and the Shiv Sena in general citing that they were also party to the ban decision in the BMC limit .
He stated that the ban during the Jain fast was introduced in 1994 by the then Congress government. Ten years later, the two-day ban was extended to four days, but has never really been implemented.
However, Shelar's aggression forced Shiv Sena to further step up attack which led to BJP to turn around on meat ban issue. However, insiders believe that its not over as more verbal duel BJP and Shiv Sena will follow as the BMC poll nears.
