Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju has come out and said that he was “misquoted” by The Indian Express over his reaction to his statement on the beef ban but the newspaper has released an audio clip to back up their story.The BJP minister was earlier quoted as saying that “For example, I eat beef, I’m from Arunachal Pradesh, can somebody stop me? So let us not be touchy about somebody’s practices.”Rijiju’s response was aimed at MoS Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi who had earlier said that those who wished to eat beef should go to Pakistan.The newspaper has released an audio clip from Rijiju’s press interaction with the media in Aizawl on Tuesday. In the clip, Rijiju is heard re-iterating the aforementioned quote. Meanwhile, several BJP leaders have come out in support of Rijiju’s earlier statement which was against the ban. Sports Minister Sabarnanda Sonowal supported the idea of “unity amid diversity” and is quoted by The Hindustan Times as saying that “Beef curbs in the northeast will sow seeds of dissonance as it is a common staple among many communities.”Meghalaya, state BJP unit president Khlur Singh Lyngdoh also criticised Naqvi’s statement saying that it wasn’t “acceptable”.BJP chiefs from Nagaland and Mizoram have condemned Naqvi’s remarks too.