Saints seek ban on sale of meat, liquor in Ayodhya

Lucknow: After the renaming of Faizabad district as Ayodhya, the saints and seers of the holy city are now demanding a total ban on sale of meat and liquor in the entire district.

Presently, the sale of meat and liquor is banned in Ayodhya town but the saints want it extended to the entire district.

Mahant Satyendra Das, chief priest of the makeshift Ram temple, told reporters on Sunday that the ban on meat and liquor sale was essential to maintain the piety of any place that carries the name of Ayodhya.

Some saints said that since the government had decided to rename the entire Faizabad division as Ayodhya division, the ban should be extended to the division.

The saints said that consumption of meat and liquor lead to pollution and violence and hence should be banned.

State government spokesperson and cabinet minister Shrikant Sharma said that the state government was aware of the demands of seers and saints in Ayodhya.

“The government will ban sale of liquor and meat within the legal framework,” he said.

Meanwhile, Muslims in Faizabad district (that has a sizeable Muslim population) have said that the decision would render most of them unemployed.

“My family has been running a meat shop since the past three generations and if meat sale is banded, we will be jobless. The state government should protect the interests of all sections of society,” said Ashfaq who runs a meat shop in Kasai Bara locality.