Bihar govt bans 'Bali Pratha' at Kali temple, BJP poses tough question for Nitish Kumar

The Bihar government, on December 19, announced a ban on the animal sacrifice at a temple in Dharbhanga, triggering a political slugfest in the state. The ban was ordered by the Bihar State Religious Trust Board (BSRTB) for at the Shyama Mai temple where animal sacrifice is a ritual.

Needless to say, this decision faced sharp criticism from the BJP. Giriraj Singh, the MP from Begusarai, questioned the Nitish Kumar government for the decision underscoring the ritual which has been followed for generations in Sanatan Dharma.

The Shyama Mai temple was constructed in 1933 and it stands on the funeral pyre of Maharaj Rameshwar Singh, who was a devotee of Goddess Kali. As an honour for Rameshwar Singh's faith, the temple was constructed by his son Kameshwar Singh. 

Upset over the appeasement politics, Singh also questioned if Nitish would ban the practice on Bakrid.

#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)

"Sanatana Dharma has 'Bali Pratha' (animal sacrifice) since ages. They banned the 'Bali Pratha' at Shyama Mandir. I want to ask them, can they ban it on Bakrid?" the Rural Development Minister questioned.

Furthermore, Singh also requested the Hindus to only eat Jhatka meat instead of Halal. 

"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 religion, I request my Hindu brothers to stop consuming Halal meat and instead only consume Jhatka meat," he said while speaking to ANI.

A few weeks ago, the MP also wrote a letter to the Bihar CM to ban the sale of food products labelled as "halal", drawing inspiration from the Uttar Pradesh government.

In his Begusarai constituency, Singh also made his supporters take the pledge that they will henceforth not spoil their 'dharma' by eating Halal meat.