Panaji, March 20 (TNN): BJP-ruled Goa would not ban beef as it is an essential part of the cuisine of minority communities in the state, chief minister Laxmikant Parsekar told ET, adding that it had taken several years for his party to earn the trust of the state's Christians and Muslims.

"Regardless of what the Centre does -in Goa minorities are 3940% -if it is part of their food habits, why and how can we ban it? For people -especially minorities -eating beef is part of their food," said Parsekar. The Goan CM's comments assume significance as it comes days after Maharashtra and Haryana imposed blanket bans on beef. The move had also triggered speculation that the BJP-led Central government could be considering a nation-wide plan to ban beef distribution and consumption.

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Parsekar, a former state-level functionary of RSS, said that he is also conscious about the sentiments of a section of Hindus concerning slaughter of cows.

"Sentiments are hurt with regards to killing cows, not in the case of oxen or bulls. We don't permit killing of cows, and even oxen are not killed there (in Goa) now. It (beef) is brought from Karnataka and sold here, which we allow since it is a part of cuisine of Catholics and Muslims, and I feel it should not be banned," he said.

The Goa CM also felt that there was a concerted effort from some quarters, including media, to paint BJP as antiminority by blaming the recent attacks on churches on the party. Such incidents are happening even in states where BJP is not in power, but the party is being blamed, he said.

Parsekar told ET that the BJP managed to grow "gradually" and achieve a full majority government for the first time in the state because of it having "build confidence" among the minority community.

"In fact, we favour the minorities," he said, adding, "In Goa, we are always one step ahead (in reassuring the minority community). We favour the minorities -whether it is for (setting up their) institutions or any other help. For your information, exposition of the holy relics of Saint Xavier's was organised this year. We spent a lot of money for raising infrastructure for that event. It went on for 45 days and 46 lakh people arrived from the world over. We had put up a secretariat comprising top officers for monitoring the event and spent more than Rs 50 crore at the campus."

"The Bishop, at least on three-four occasions spoke positively about this government. I heard it myself. The Congress never did so (work for the minorities); it took them for granted. We got an opportunity, and we did it best," he said.

Four months into his first term as Goa CM, Parsekar reflected about the difficult, sometimes even hostile, journey of the BJP.

While part of the reason for a "gradual" growth was the cornering of majority Hindu vote by the then influential Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP), other reason was the suspicion of Catholics towards the party.

In 1989, the Sangh relieved Parsekar, present yoga minister Sripad Naik and the state assembly's speaker Rajendra Arlekar to "work for the BJP" and contest assembly elections of 1990 on all 40 seats. But candidates for only 11 seats could be found, all of whom lost.

Speaking about his own experience, Parsekar said, "In 2002, when I was elected for the first time, I could not open my account in a booth which was cent percent (100%) catholic...In 1994, four of us (from BJP) got elected, then four came to ten, ten came to fourteen, fourteen reached to seventeen and this time, we got absolute majority 21. It is a gradual, gradual, growth. We reaped the confidence of minorities in particular; first the majority and then the minorities."

"We came to power on minority support," he told ET. Giving his own example, Paresekar said there are booths in his constituency that are 100% Catholic. "It took me three elections to work on them and now they have finally started voting for BJP. That's the case with the entire Goa where we now have more Catholic MLAs than Congress," Parsekar said.

Random attacks on churches are being linked artificially to BJP by the Congress to scare away minorities, he said, adding that sections in the media were playing it up as part of their antiBJP agenda.