The Bihar State Religious Trust Council has issued a directive prohibiting offering sacrifices at Darbhanga’s Shyama Mai Temple. Locals are taking to the streets in protest of this order. Giriraj Singh, a Bihar MP and Union Minister from Begusarai, has also objected to this directive. He has questioned whether Bakrid can be subject to the same restrictions placed on sacrificers at the Shyama Mai temple.
“Offering sacrifices is a part of our religion as well,” said Giriraj Singh, the Minister of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Department in the ministry headed by Modi. According to him, Sanatan has been practicing sacrifices since the beginning of time. He asserted that only jhatka meat should be consumed by Hindus.
Speaking in his Lok Sabha constituency Begusarai on Sunday (December 18, 2023), he said that he ‘appreciates’ Muslims who are dedicated to their religion. Those Muslims have decided that they will consume only Halal meat. Hindus should also show a similar commitment to their religious traditions, Singh said.
“I admire the Muslims who make it a point to consume only halal meat. Now Hindus should demonstrate a similar commitment to their own religious traditions. The Hindu way of slaughter is jhatka. Whenever Hindus perform ‘bali’ (animal sacrifice), they do so in a single stroke. As such, they must not corrupt themselves by eating halal meat. They must always stick to jhatka,” he said.
#WATCH | Patna, Bihar: Union Minister Giriraj Singh says, "Sanatana Dharma has 'bali pratha' (animal sacrifice) since ages…I have said that I respect my Muslim brothers. They are so committed to their religion that they only consume halal meat…To protect and respect your… pic.twitter.com/v1W5vpAYuO
— ANI (@ANI) December 18, 2023
He asserted that to preserve their faith, Hindus should only consume Jhatka meat. “Don’t eat meat if you fail to find it,” he said. Additionally, he revealed that the Sanatan method of sacrifice involved a single act of killing called ‘Jhatka’. In contrast, the animal in halal is killed slowly. It is not appropriate for Hindus to consume this kind of meat and violate the traditions.
He administered an oath to the people present in the meeting that they would all eat Jhatka meat only and would not eat Halal meat. He urged the young people to visit the temple in the evening. He said that there is no better religion than Sanatan in the whole world.
Remarkably, Giriraj Singh recently demanded in a letter to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar that the state bans the sale of halal goods, just like Uttar Pradesh does.
Last month, the Uttar Pradesh government took a decisive step against the illegal issuance of ‘Halal Certificates,’ issuing an order prohibiting the manufacture, storage, distribution, and sale of food products bearing the halal certification. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman defended the UP government’s decision as well. She stated that food certification should only be performed by government agencies and not by non-governmental organizations.
The BJP was embroiled in a squabble, with opposition leaders condemning the move. Akhilesh Yadav, the chief of the Samajwadi Party, attacked the Bharatiya Janata Party for banning Halal products, accusing them of causing a divide between communities.
Giriraj Singh thanked the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister for the investigation into ‘Halal Products’ at the time.
