Four days after being made the Tourism Minister of the BJP government, bureaucrat-turned politician K.J. Alphons has been given the additional responsibility of being the BJP in-charge of Meghalaya, a Christian majority State, where Assembly elections are due early next year.
Mr. Alphons’ assignment, who had unambiguously stated that people from Kerala would continue to have beef, is meant to send a political signal in the State that had seen a spate of resignations over the beef ban issue.
“I welcome the move by Prime Minister Modi to induct a Christian into his Council of Ministers. At the same time, he has been made in-charge of Meghalaya and it sends the right signal in our State,” said Conrad Sangma, an ally of the BJP who heads the National People’s Party (NPP) in the north-east.
In June this year, at least three senior BJP leaders along with their supporters had resigned over the Centre’s order that banned the sale of cattle in local markets for slaughter.
The issue came up again on Tuesday when BJP president Amit Shah was chairing a meeting of party leaders and BJP allies from the north-east . Two Meghalaya leaders are believed to have raised their concerns about the beef ban at Tuesday’s meeting.
Beef consumption is popular among the three main tribes —Khasis, Jaintias and Garos — in Meghalaya.
“The government and the leadership have been clear that they have no intention to restrict dietary habits of the people,”said Mr. Sangma.
Shah confident
“The BJP-led NEDA is in power in five States but I am confident that in the coming days, the alliance will be in power in all the eight States in the north-eastern region,” Mr. Shah said on Tuesday at the inaugural session of NEDA’s second conclave in Delhi.
BJP-led governments are in power in Assam, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh while allies rule Nagaland and Sikkim. In Manipur, though the BJP had come a close second, it managed to form the government with help from Congress defectors. The remaining three States, Left-ruled Tripura and Congress- ruled Mizoram and Meghalaya will go to polls next year.
