After inaugurating the Jogeshwari flyover on Thursday, Mumbai BJP chief Ashish Shelar said his party only wants meat ban during 'Paryushan' which has been making headlines and garnering them severe criticism, for two days

The Jogeshwari flyover inauguration on Thursday was marked by the BJP back-tracking on their meat ban which has been making headlines and gathering severe criticism for them.

After the inauguration, BJP MLA Ashish Shelar started giving a speech in the presence of Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray and others. In his speech, he clarified that the meat ban during 'Paryushan' had been in existence for decades and was originally initiated by the Congress-NCP government.

Mumbai BJP chief Ashish Shelar

"I personally spoke to the CM. He said he has not ordered any municipal corporation to impose this ban. It is their decision," Shelar said. This, while his own party members had vehemently supported the meat ban in the BMC.

He then said that the party does not support a ban of more than 2 days.

Shelar had on Tuesday termed the Mumbai meat ban as illegal and illogical, saying this ban has not been imposed by the Maharashtra Government.

"If the state government, or BJP or Maharashtra would have proposed it, all the corporations in the state government would have followed the same, which is not the case. Therefore, this propaganda is illegal and illogical," Shelar told ANI.

"BJP or Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has not proposed any ban in the state. When the Jain festival is going on at the time of Paryushan, the Jain followers demand that for three or four days abattoirs should stop working, and this has been their demand for the last so many years," he added.

Shelar further said, "Democracy and Constitution does not allow the same. The state government and the BJP have not proposed the same," Shelar said.

Thackeray, in his speech, took up a strong stand and said, "I am a Hindu and proud to be one. If anyone tries to enforce their religion/religious practices on me, I will not tolerate that."

He then appealed to people to put an end to this controversy.

The 2.25-km flyover connecting Jogeshwari East and West will connect SV Road to Western Express Highway.