BJP leader warns of protest if beef import allowed in Karnataka
Bengaluru: Karnataka BJP senior leader N. R. Ramesh shot off a letter to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday warning him of a protest if the beef import is allowed in the state.
The BJP leader asked Siddaramaiah to check and act on the development of the alleged meeting of slaughter “mafia” pressuring the government to issue a trade license under the name of “beef shop”.
“In a shocking development where, disregarding all legal regulations, a meeting was held at Minister for Housing and Waqf B. Z. Zameer Ahmed Khan’s office, pressuring the Urban Development Department to issue trade licenses under the name “Beef Shop” for slaughterhouse mafias,” the letter read.
“Currently, trade licenses are issued under the name ‘Buffalo Meat Shop’ in Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) and other municipal corporations, city councils, and town panchayats. They demanded that trade licenses be issued under the name ‘Beef Shop’ instead of ‘Buffalo Meat Shop’,” Ramesh said.
“On March 6, 2025, a meeting took place at the office of Minister Zameer Ahmed Khan, Minister of Housing, Waqf, and Minority Welfare Department, in Vikas Soudha at Rooms 143 to 146, located on the First Floor. The meeting was attended by officials from BBMP’s Animal Husbandry Department, officials from the State Urban Development Department, slaughterhouse owners/leaders, minority traders, minority religious leaders, and some legislators from the minority community,” Ramesh stated.
“During this meeting, a shocking demand was made: The Karnataka government has only banned cow slaughter, meaning the anti-cow slaughter law applies only if cows are slaughtered within the state. Therefore, they requested that the government facilitate the import of beef from neighbouring states like Kerala and Tamil Nadu for sale in Karnataka,” Ramesh’s letter read.
Ramesh claimed that this “informal decision made in the meeting is illegal and, in a way, indirectly supports cow slaughter, benefiting the slaughterhouse mafia”.
“If the government proceeds with issuing trade licenses under the name ‘Beef Shop’ instead of ‘Buffalo Meat Shop’ across BBMP and other municipal limits in the state, a widespread legal battle will be inevitable,” he warned.
Furthermore, if the Karnataka government allows beef import from Kerala and Tamil Nadu, legal actions will also be taken against it, the BJP leader said.
The BJP leader said that he urged Siddaramaiah to ensure that the sentiments of the majority community are not hurt.
Ramesh said he also requested Siddaramaiah to warn Minister Khan against engaging in such activities.