Another major embarrassment for the Modi Govt.
By Dileep Thekkethil
Kerala House, which was stormed by Delhi police on Tuesday over a false complaint that it served beef, on Wednesday reintroduced buffalo meat in its menu.
The state guest house was forced to take out buffalo meat from its menu yesterday after the Delhi police made a surprise visit over a complaint recorded by Vishnu Gupta, who is reportedly a member of the right-wing organization called Hindu Sena.
Hindu Sena had alleged yesterday that Kerala House was illicitly serving cow meat as “beef fry”, which was the only item listed in Malayalam. But an investigation revealed that the meat used was not that of a cow but buffalo, which is not banned.
In an angry letter sent to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said that it is, in fact, buffalo meat and the incident that unfolded in Kerala House was described as “raid”.
In a day’s time, buffalo meat was back on the menu, but this time it read meat curry and meat fry with buffalo written in English. Also, in a dramatic twist, the complainant became the accused as the Delhi police charged Gupta for misleading them.
T Sudhish, a staffer at Kerala House said, “We don’t want any confusion after what happened. So we have mentioned that it’s buffalo meat.” He also confirmed that the buffalo dishes prepared today got sold out within 45 minutes and many had to settle with other dishes for lunch.
He also added that Malayalam was used because beef dishes are very popular among people in Kerala.
As the so-called police raid in Kerala House became a topic of discussion, the Delhi police came up with a clarification on why they had to invade the state guest house with a large team.
Delhi police Chief BS Bassi’s said that the swift movement was to douse a communal flare-up. But this stand of the police was brushed aside by Chief Minister Chandy.
He told media today, “The Delhi Police explanation is unacceptable. They have gone beyond their call of duty.” He added, “We abide by the law. Will serve buffalo meet again from today at Kerala house.”
The Kerala chief minister also sought an apology from the police, failing which he threatened to take legal action. Bengal Chief Minister Mamta Banerjee and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal supported Chandy’s stand