‘Not Policing Food Choices’: Maha CM Fadnavis On I-Day Meat Ban Row As Aaditya Wants Official Sacked
Maharashtra CM Fadnavis dismissed claims of controlling eating habits after abattoir closures on Independence Day. Deputy CM Pawar criticised the ban, while Aaditya Thackeray demanded the KDMC commissioner's suspension.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday dismissed claims that the state was seeking to control people’s eating habits, calling the uproar over the closure of abattoirs and meat shops on Independence Day “unnecessary”. He said municipal bodies decide on such matters independently and claimed he was unaware of a decades-old government resolution (GR) that permits slaughterhouse closures on certain days, including August 15.
Fadnavis distances state from abattoir closure orders
“The state government is not interested in (knowing) who eats what. We have many other issues to address,” Fadnavis told reporters. Criticising the tenor of the debate, he added, “Some people even went ahead and called vegetarian people as impotent. This nonsense should stop at once.”
Asked about civic bodies issuing orders for slaughterhouse closures on Independence Day, the Chief Minister responded, “The state never took such a decision. A government resolution (GR) was issued in August 1988. Municipal corporations take such decisions (ordering closure of slaughterhouses) on their own. Even I was not aware of such a GR existing for such a long period. I also learned about it (GR) through the media. Similar decisions were taken when (Shiv Sena UBT leader) Uddhav Thackeray was chief minister of Maharashtra (November 2019-June 22).”
The controversy arose after local bodies in Kalyan Dombivli in Thane district, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, and Nagpur ordered meat shops to remain closed on August 15. Reports also suggested the Malegaon Municipal Corporation in Nashik district had issued a similar directive.
Ajit Pawar calls Independence Day slaughter ban ‘wrong’
Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar voiced his displeasure a day earlier, arguing against enforcing such restrictions on national occasions. “It is wrong to impose such a ban,” he said.
Pawar explained that such closures are typically linked to faith-based observances such as Ashadhi Ekadashi, Mahashivratri, and Mahavir Jayanti. “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 told reporters.
According to Fadnavis, the decision-making power rests with municipal corporations, which may choose to shut slaughterhouses on specific days without state intervention. The Chief Minister reiterated that the government’s priority was not regulating diets but addressing larger issues affecting the state.
Aaditya Thackeray Demands Suspension of KDMC Commissioner Over Food 'Dictat'
Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray on Tuesday called for the suspension of the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) commissioner, asserting that the official has no right to dictate citizens' food choices. The demand came after the commissioner reportedly issued an order regarding food consumption on Independence Day.
Thackeray, speaking on the issue, stated that what people choose to eat on Independence Day is a matter of personal freedom. He said, "The Commissioner of Kalyan-Dombivli should be suspended. I don't know who he is. What we eat on Independence Day is our right, our freedom. They cannot tell us whether to eat veg or non-veg. We will definitely eat non-veg. We eat it in our house."
#WATCH | Mumbai: On Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation reportedly ordered the closure of all slaughterhouses and meat shops on August 15, Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray says, "In our house, even on Navratri, our prasad has prawns, fish, because this is our tradition,… pic.twitter.com/ivxVhjHw2i
— ANI (@ANI) August 12, 2025
The Shiv Sena (UBT) leader emphasised that such matters are not a question of religion or national interest. "In our house, even on Navratri, our prasad has prawns, fish, because this is our tradition, this is our Hinduism... This is not a matter of religion, and it is not a matter of national interest," he added.
Thackeray reiterated his stance on X, formerly known as Twitter, writing, “What we eat on Independence Day is our choice. The Kalyan Dombivali Municipal Commissioner has NO right to interfere, and that dictat won’t be followed! Instead of imposing vegetarianism on the citizens, focus on improving the terrible roads and broken civic services. Citizens will eat whatever they want to- vegetarian/ non vegetarian.”
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