On the eve of the Muslim festival of Bakri Eid (the feast of sacrifice), the Bharatiya Janata Party pitched for an “eco-friendly” celebration, saying the intelligentsia in the country should mull over it.
“The way we are becoming more eco-friendly, the way a campaign in this regard is going on in the country and the world… it is a matter of debate and there should be a debate over it. It will be good if the intelligentsia in the country discusses it. It will be good,” BJP National Secretary Shrikant Sharma told a press conference.
He was responding to a question as to whether the Bakr-Eid or Eid al-Adha, during which Muslims across the world sacrifice animals as part of their holy tradition, should be observed in an “eco-friendly” way as is the case with some other festivals.
Many activists have been campaigning against slaughter of animals with a section of them arguing that killing animals is not good for environment.
Sharma made it clear that whether eco-friendly Eid should be observed or not is a matter of debate.
“There can be a discussion on whether there should be eco-friendly Eid or not. There is freedom of expression in our country and people have a right to express their different opinions… But, yes, there should be a debate over it.”
Sharma also quoted examples of Diwali, Holi, Durga Puja and Ganesh Chaturthi, on how there is in increased emphasis on eco-friendly options, such as minimal use of crackers or herbal colour or green idols.