Meat ban: Union Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma calls for respecting sentiments

New Delhi: Amid raging row over meat ban, Union Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma on Monday said though he did not favour any type of "ban", it would be a good gesture if people respected sentiments of other communities during their special occasions and not consume non-vegetarian food.

"In principle, I am not in favour of this ban work...Let it be people's choice of whatever they want to eat...But I am in favour of, if you have to respect somebody's sentiments, suppose, he is a non-vegetarian person and for one day or two days or three days, you want to take a stop, it is just to respect his sentiments," he told reporters.

"Asking people to stop eating non-vegetarian for few days does not amount to putting a ban... People do not eat non- vegetarian food during Navratra festival. Hotels also do not sell non-vegetarian food during the festival," he said.

Sharma's remarks come in the backdrop of Maharashtra prohibiting meat in Mumbai for the Jain festival of fasting. The state government move came within months of its banning beef there.