NEW DELHI: Even as the notification on the ban on sale of cattle for slaughter has created sharp protests in many parts of the country, the BJP is seemingly emboldened with the raging “beef” debate.
With the party bracing up for crucial State Assembly elections this year in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh and key States next year where it may run into sharp anti-incumbency factor, the saffron outfit claims the Opposition is helping its cause to seed Hindutva as the dominant discourse in the society.
The three key BJP-ruled States — Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh — would go to the Assembly polls next year, besides Karnataka where the saffron outfit is fancying an opportunity to return to power. BJP leaders do admit that beef is consumed as per the dietary habit in a few of the southern States and parts of North-east.