All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul Muslimeen chief Asaduddin Owaisi raked up the beef controversy on Monday, telling a public gathering in Hyderabad to vote for his party if they want to continue eating the meat. Ahead of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation election, Owaisi said, "If AIMIM is defeated in the election, I am telling you – the members of minority community will have to forget about eating beef."

Owaisi has been using the beef ban controversy during his election campaign speeches in Hyderabad, reported India Today. The three-time MP also accused the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Maharashtra state government of targeting poor Muslims and Dalits through its beef ban. After the ban was enforced in March last year, he had said, "They have banned beef in Maharashtra. But since Mr Modi took over as prime minister, the quantity of beef exported from India has gone up. And if my sources are right, beef export has gone up by 17%. What is Mr Modi doing about it?"