Ayush booklet was first published by UPA: Amit Shah

Mumbai: BJP president Amit Shah on Friday said that the NDA government was unnecessarily targeted after the release of the booklet “Mother and Child Care” by the ministry of Ayush, which allegedly asked women to not consume meat during pregnancy.

The BJP president claimed that incorrect reports quoting selective portions from the booklet were published to show that the government is pushing a communal agenda. However, he said that the booklet was first published during the UPA’s regime and the current government merely reprinted it.

“It was a secular book when UPA published it. It became communal after it was reprinted when the BJP came to power,” Mr Shah said during his three-day visit to Mumbai that started on Friday.

Health experts and opposition parties had slammed the BJP-led government for promoting “nonsense” through the booklet released by the Ayush ministry.

Reports in the section of media claimed that the booklet advised no meat and no sex during the pregnancy.

However, health experts said that these suggestions were “unscientific” and the opposition parties accused the government of pushing its Hindutva agenda through such booklets.

However, the ministry later issued a clarification on the issue, stating that many of the reports were inaccurate and some even misrepresented facts.