UP: Ayodhya Meat, Liquor Sellers Distraught After CM Yogi Suggests ban

Lucknow: Meat and liquor sellers in Uttar Pradesh’s (UP) Ayodhya are shocked and disappointed after chief minister (CM) Yogi Adityanath suggested banning these products in “Dharamnagri”. 

Thousands of residents dependent on meat and liquor and allied sectors are concerned that a ban would deprive them of their livelihood.  

During his two-day review of the ongoing development projects, including the Ram Temple, in Ayodhya on Wednesday, the CM said that public sentiments should be respected and consumption of meat and liquor should be prohibited in the religious city.

The state government is seriously considering a ban on the sale of meat and liquor in the Ayodhya district, an official requesting anonymity told Newsclick. 

Ayodhya BJP leader Naveen Tiwari said that saints from various parts of the state had been demanding a ban on meat and liquor in the city. “Finally, the CM considered their demand. Meat and liquor were also banned around Mathura’s Krishna Janmasthan temple complex area following a demand by seers,” he told Newsclick.

Seven other places in Mathura—Vrindavan, Gokul, Barsana, Nandgaon, Goverdhan, Baldev and Radhakund—were also declared pilgrimage sites where the ban was imposed.

Ayodhya meat sellers said that a ban would leave thousands unemployed. “It is the government’s responsibility to provide employment. But the state government is hellbent on snatching our livelihood. Generations-old businesses will be destroyed in a moment because of vote bank politics,” Maroof Qureshi, a meat trader in Ayodhya, told Newsclick. 

“The government should have a rehabilitation plan, in case of a blanket ban. Where would I go?” asked Alamghir Ansari, a meat seller who is the sole breadwinner of a family of eight.

The families of Ansari and other meat sellers like Nabiullah, who make only Rs 600-Rs 700 daily, have been selling meat for generations.

“I earn only Rs 600 daily. I have four unmarried daughters and a wife to support. Selling meat is my only source of livelihood. If the government bans it, we will be destroyed,” Nabiullah said. 

Another meat seller Qurban said that a sudden ban would make thousands unemployed. “Several others like me depend solely on selling meat and a sudden ban will snatch our livelihood,” he said. 

The situation of liquor shop owners is similar. Rohit Tiwari, who has 22 liquor stores in the city and employs more than 80 people, said, “Thousands of workers will also lose their livelihood.” 

Liquor seller Amit said, “When there are no meat and liquor shops around the temple, does banning them in the city make sense? The poor will suffer if the government tries to appease its core voters before the Lok Sabha election.”

Allied sectors will be impacted as well. “Non-veg sells more than veg here,” said Sahim Khan, owner of Gravity Club Resort. “More than 30,000 people are in the hotel and restaurant business in the city.” 

Samajwadi Party national secretary and spokesperson Rajeev Rai argued, “How will the state government ensure employment to those selling meat for years? This is purely an election stunt to divert attention from real issues. Thousands of families will lose their livelihoods without a rehabilitation plan.”

Ramon Magsaysay Award recipient Sandeep Pandey said, “Hindus can eat meat and drink alcohol outside religious places. If Yogi Adityanath truly believes that liquor is a vice, why doesn’t he prohibit liquor as Nitish Kumar did in Bihar?”

Liquor shops were the “first to be opened after the lockdown, and shops selling foreign alcohol are doing brisk business”, he alleged. 

“What kind of Ram Rajya is this where the government is greedy after revenue earned from liquor sales?” he told Newsclick.

“Banning meat in religious places is another sham. For example, the ban on cow slaughter created the massive problem of stray cattle for farmers. Cow shelters can’t accommodate stray cattle. Consequently, they have become easy targets of slaughterhouses. Now, the state government wants to appear morally upright by banning meat in a religious place. It is hypocrisy at its best,” he added.

“Hindus who are against cruelty to animals should first stop slaughtering animals at some temples,” Pandey said.