Beef ban has created anxiety in Goa, admits Union Minister

Panaji, June 3 (IANS) Union AYUSH Minister Shripad Naik on Saturday conceded that there is a "little bit" of anxiety in Goa about the beef ban.

Interacting with reporters at the BJP state headquarters here, Naik also said that the state BJP leadership was trying to convince his party's leadership about the situation in Goa, a coastal state where more than 30 per cent of the 1.5 million population is of minorities.

"There is a little bit," Naik said to queries if there was anxiety amongst people in Goa, about the controversial ban on beef.

Asked about the apprehension amongst members of Goa's minority community over the ban, Naik said: "The government will decide. We will think about it. We are trying to convince them and explain the situation in Goa. And we will keep doing it."

Normally consumed in form of stew, curries, roasts, soups, beef is an essential protein and one of the cheapest meats, in most Christian and Muslim homes in the state.