Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has clarified that the state government has no plans to control citizens’ food choices, following a political controversy over the closure of meat shops on Independence Day. The row began after municipal corporations in Nagpur, Kalyan-Dombivli, Malegaon, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, and Amravati announced that meat shops would remain shut on August 15. Opposition leaders, including Jitendra Awhad, Sanjay Raut, and Deputy CM Ajit Pawar, strongly criticized the move.

Fadnavis stated on Wednesday that the decision was not taken by the current government but stems from a 1988 government resolution issued during a previous administration. He explained that several municipal corporations have been implementing the rule every year and that he learned about the latest bans through media reports.

“When I asked municipal authorities about the decision, they referred to the 1988 resolution and noted that similar measures were taken even during Uddhav Thackeray’s tenure,” he said. Emphasizing that the state has no interest in deciding people’s diet, Fadnavis remarked, “People are free to choose what they eat. This controversy is being manufactured as if our government made this decision. Such absurdity, like calling vegetarians ‘impotent’, must stop.” He added that his government is focused on more pressing issues rather than dictating food choices.