Patna: A day before Bihar votes in the final phase of the electrifying assembly elections, an advertisement issued by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) showing a woman hugging a holy cow has become the talk of the town on Wednesday.
The BJP advertisement was carried by several newspapers, which highlighted some of the controversial comments on beef row made by the allies of 'Mahagathbandhan' – an alliance floated by the Janata Dal (United), Rashtriya Janata Dal and Congress.
The advertisement questions JD (U) leader and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's silence over the controversial remarks made by his alliance partners on beef row.
Amidst outrage over the lynching of a 50-year-old Muslim man in Uttar Pradesh over allegedly eating beef, RJD president Lalu Prasad had said ''Hindus too eat beef ''and accused BJP and RSS of communalising the issue.
"Those who eat meat are not sabhya (civilised) people. Poor people eat meat to beat their hunger... Those who go outside (the country) eat beef. Even Hindus eat beef. There is no difference between beef and goat meat," he had said.
Another RJD leader Raghuvansh Prasad Singh had kicked up a political storm by saying that in Vedas it is mentioned that 'rishis' and 'maharishis' used to consume beef.
Amidst controversies and uproar around beef ban, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah recently said, “I will eat beef now. Who are you to question me?. Though I've not consumed beef till now, I will do it now. It's my right.”
Meanwhile, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who has openly advocated for Niitsh Kumar, tweeted: “Have these ads in Bihar been given by BJP's fringe elements? Or by BJP top brass?”
