Jain

Paryushan

Shiv Sena

BJP

BMC

MNS

Most meat shops stayed open;body will reach out to all meat-shop unions to stay shut duringThe BJP's bid to shut city meat shops on Sunday on the occasion of Mahavir Jayanti did not meet with much success. Now, the Jain Foundation will be demanding an eight-day ban on slaughter houses and meat shops during Paryushan. Thehas vehemently opposed the proposal in the past. Now, with the Sena and theequals in the BMC, the matter will not go unopposed.BJP MLA Mangal Prabhat Lodha, along with the Jain Shakti Foundation, had appealed to meat sellers to keep their shops shut on Sunday, on the occasion of Mahavir Jayanti. Thehad already ordered the Deonar abattoir to be shut, but there was no official civic order to ban the sale of meat.The foundation had therefore appealed to unions of meat-shop owners to voluntarily shut shop.But the appeal met with a tepid response on Sunday, when most meat shops were found functioning.“I wouldn't say there was no response. Many meat shop owners voluntarily shut down because of our appeal. I would say around 40 per cent were shut,“ said Kanak Parmar, secretary of the foundation.The foundation will now work towards reaching out to all meat-shop owners' unions in the run-up to Paryushan.According to a BMC general body resolution, meat shops and slaughterhouses are kept shut for two days during the holy week when Jains observe fasts.In the past, the Sena and theon one hand, and the BJP on the other, fought bitterly over the demand to shut meat shops for two extra days. The BJP had first demanded a meat ban for eight days, and later amended it to four days.The Shiv Sena and MNS had fought this bitterly, with the MNS even selling chicken on Dadar's streets in protest.Eventually, the ban was limited to two days, per rules.“The law allows a ban only of two days. Even we observe a fast during Navratri, but we don't demand a meat ban of nine days. If they try to do such a thing, the Shiv Sena will oppose it wholeheartedly,“ said Sena leader and nominated corporator Trushna Vishwasrao. Vishwasrao has opposed the meat ban in the past as well.