PANAJI

Goa’s Animal Husbandry Minister Mauvin Godinho on Friday told the Assembly that the BJP-led government in the state was not against meat-eaters and that efforts were being made to reopen the state’s only legal slaughterhouse soon.

Godinho blamed vested interests for trying to create an impression that the BJP government was against non-vegetarians.

“We believe in carrying everybody along and there is no objection in meat being consumed either by tourists or locals,” Godinho said during Zero Hour.

Several legislators have complained of beef scarcity in the coastal state, where the beef-eating minorities account for nearly a third of the state’s population of 1.5 million.

Godinho alleged that non-government organisations from outside the state were responsible for scuttling the operation of the meat complex and holding the regular supply of red meat to ransom.

“It is the NGOs from outside the state (who are responsible),” Godinho said.