11, Sep 2015

MUMBAI: The Shiv Sena hit out at the Jain community over the meat ban on Thursday.
In an editorial in its mouthpiece Saamna, the party mocked, criticised and even threatened Jains f or i nsisting on t he ban. It read: “Jains must not follow the path of Muslims and become fanatics. At least Muslims have Pakistan to go to. Where will the Jains go?” Warning Jains to not take on the ‘sons of the soil’ with such demands, the editorial said they would “bite the dust” if they persisted.
The editorial ter med the community’s emphasis on nonviolence hypocritical, reminding it of the 1992-93 riots. “The Sena protected Jains and their businesses from mobs. Hordes of Jains queued up outside Matoshree, wanting to thank Balasaheb for this. Why didn’t they remember this doctrine of non-violence then?” the editorial read.
Sections of the Jain community have been pushing for a ban on killing of animals during Paryushan Parv, their period of fasting, citing the religion’s emphasis on non-violence. The Shiv Sena editorial asked, “If a terrorist like Kasab was to enter Mumbai during this period, would a Jain protect him from being killed and instead offer up his own life?”