New Delhi: With protests erupting across states, particularly in the Northeast, Union environment minister Harsh Vardhan in a retraction of sorts said the government was against “changing food habits of people” and putting businesses in “any kind of difficulty”. His remarks come in the wake of protests over his ministry’s notification banning sale of cattle for slaughter at open markets across the country.

“We drafted the rules after the Supreme Court directive. Following this, the notification was put in public domain for one month. Some suggestions came and were incorporated into the rules. Our intention behind issuing the rules was not to alter the food habits of people in any way. We also don’t want to put businesses to any kind of difficulty,” the minister said.

Interestingly, home minister Rajnath Singh’s recent visit to Mizoram was met with  reported protests by hundreds of people who took part in a “beef party” organised by local groups to protests against the notification. In the past few days, similar protests and beef fests were also reported from other places like Tamil Nadu and Kerala. The minister said suggestions “are coming in ... and if anyone has reservations, they can send it to the ministry and these suggestions will be looked at objectively”. He added: “Now the matter is again in the Supreme Court.”

The Madras high court had on May 30 stayed for four weeks the enforcement of the notification. The order had come on a petition challenging the ban as inimical to personal liberty, people’s rights to livelihood and an encroachment into matters within the domain of states.