Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has dared the Modi government to issue a blanket ban on meat export after BJP president Amit Shah vowed to shut down all slaughterhouses in Uttar Pradesh if voted to power. "I suggest the PM and the BJP's national president go back to Delhi and put an end to exports of meat. Also, they must end the facilities and subsidies provided to any slaughterhouse with immediate effect," said Yadav in an interview to India Today. UP is the nation's leading producer of buffalo meat. According to official figures, Uttar Pradesh accounts for the highest share of 28 per cent of the country's total population of buffaloes. WATCH VIDEO | SP Will Form Govt In Alliance With Congress: CM Akhilesh Yadav In an election rally in Unnao recently, Shah had said "all slaughterhouses across the state will be banned from the night of March 12." Counting of votes in UP will be held on March 11. Reacting to Shah's comment, "He (Shah) should ban use of leather and start wearing khadaus (wooden sandals). Is this a business started by the SP?" Yadav said. The chief minister insisted that animal products were widely used by drug-making companies, many of them in Gujarat, the home state of Modi and Shah. "He (the BJP president) must also close pharmaceutical companies in Gujarat," challenged Yadav. ALSO WATCH | Assembly Elections 2017: How Has UP Voted In The Past Explained He also the slammed the BJP for failing to fulfill its promise of "Achche Din". "Modi is our prime minister. Obviously, there is a lot of cheering for him and people are happy to see him. UP sent the maximum MPs to the Lok Sabha, but now public here wonder what the (central) government has done for them," he said when pointed out the prime minister still retained his charisma on voters.
