Several civic bodies across Maharashtra have directed meat shops to remain closed on August 15, drawing criticism from the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) led by Deputy Chief Minister (CM) Ajit Pawar, PTI reported. However, its ally, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has defended the move, pointing to a 1988 state government order that allows municipal bodies to impose such restrictions.

Municipal corporations in Nagpur, Nashik, Malegaon, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, and Kalyan-Dombivli have issued directives to ban the sale of meat on  Independence Day.

The BJP on Wednesday said that the practice of shutting abattoirs on Independence Day was introduced in 1988 when NCP (SP) President Sharad Pawar was the chief minister of Maharashtra, reported PTI. The party questioned whether the opposition would now raise objections with Pawar himself.