Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday hit back at Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav for criticising the NDA government in not banning export of beef.
Ms. Sitharaman tweeted that preservation of cattle or enacting a law on cow slaughter did not fall under the purview of the Central government. While export of beef is not permitted, what is being exported is buffalo meat under certain specific conditions, she tweeted. Speaking to The Hindu , she said while she did not want to comment on the Dadri incident as her Cabinet colleague and area MP Mahesh Sharma was speaking to the press, she merely wanted to clear the air “on what the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister had said in reference to the Prime Minister.”