A BJP leader in Kerala who is running for parliament attempted today to dismount a controversy centred on his stand on whether beef should be banned. Today, N Sreeprakash told NDTV, "I am against cow slaughter but people can eat any kind of meat." Over the weekend, he was quoted promising the voters of Mallapuram in North Kerala that he would ensure quality beef and well-run slaughterhouses, a statement seen as incongruous with the BJP's crackdown on slaughterhouses in Uttar Pradesh and other states that are governed by the party like Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand.