Political Diary

New Delhi, 6 June 2017

Holy Cow! Food Fascism

PULPING MEATY POLITICAL DISH  

By Poonam I Kaushish

Move over beef eaters, cow drum beaters have a st(e)ake in India. They will decide our right to choose what should be eaten. Food fascism at its crassest best by garnishing religion in a political dish: Gau Mata. Whereby, the revered bovine transforms into a vote Kamdhenu!

The Centre’s notification of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Regulation of Livestock Markets Rules) 2017 banning the sale and purchase of cattle (cows, bulls, buffaloes, calves etc) for slaughter or religious sacrifice from animal markets and animal fairs, did just that..

Predictably, the regulation raised a storm with some Opposition-ruled States accusing the Centre of violating the principle of federalism.  Chief Ministers of West Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Goa and North-east, where beef (buffalo meat) is consumed perceive it as imposing an indirect beef ban and underscore it an attack on a person’s freedom of choosing what food to eat. Cocking a snook at the Centre, Kerala and Tamil Nadu held “beef fests” and the Madras High Court stayed the rule for four weeks.

Besides, the rule would hurt millions of poor farmers and squeeze supplies to the country’s meat industry estimated at Rs one lakh crores annually with exports of over Rs 26,303 crores along-with allied industries which source about 90% of their requirements from animal markets. All this would come to a standstill.

Specially, hard hit would be Uttar Pradesh, Andhra, West Bengal and Telangana which hold weekly animal markets while others operate bazaars near borders to attract traders from neighbouring States. Farmers too will be hit as they would be deprived of their traditional source of income from selling non-milch and ageing cattle.

Would it end cow slaughter? I have my doubts. Now it would be done surreptitiously which is worse, as laws imposing the religious practice of the majority on the minority would be broken by the latter and lead to a law and order problem and violence.

But this is no water of a ducks back. Politically, the BJP continues to play its Hindutva card wherein it insists that eating beef is against the ‘idea of India’. Consequently, any criticism will help nail the Opposition being against India’s culture and ethos as sanctity of the cow is integral to the Hindu ideology with over 80 per cent Indians identifying with it.

Emphasizing, that even in States like Kerala where people eat beef, the cow is revered. But it has shown flexibility vis-à-vis the North-east where beef is the staple diet by clarifying it is up to State Governments to ban cow slaughter.

Further, it electorally suits the Saffron brigade if the Opposition continues to create a shindig specially against the backdrop of ‘vegetarian’ Gujarat and ‘no beef’ Himachal going to the polls later this year. It would help the Party play to the gallery and thereby reap poll dividends. Protection of cow and its progeny is a constitutionally ordained direction, the Party underlines.

Certainly, the ban has squeezed the Congress in a tight corner after video footage of youth Congress workers in Kerala slaughtering a cow went viral leaving it no option but to condemn the incident. “It’s thoughtless, barbaric and unacceptable...a cow has a special place in Indian hearts,” said Rahul.

Notwithstanding, it feels the Sangh is using Gau mata as a panacea to consolidate the majority community against beef eaters, cow traders and those skinning dead cattle for leather.

Moreover, not a few feel by expanding protection for all bovines, the regulation is aimed at further polarizing society and a proxy war by cow vigilante groups against Dalits and Muslims – as epitomized by the lynching of Rajasthan dairy farmer in April and the flogging of Dalits in Gujarat’s Una last year. Slaughter of milch cows is banned in all States except Kerala and parts of North-east.

Adding to the fracas, a Rajasthan High Court judge last week averred the cow be declared a national animal and prescribed life-term for killing the animal on a petition by a NGO about the death of about 500 cattle in the shelter near Jaipur and the pitiable condition of cattle elsewhere. Heading the "voice of his soul", he also listed out the virtues of gau mata and why it needed to be protected.

In the ongoing maelstrom, our netagan have once again made “Gau mata” the cause célèbre. Of course, no leader wants to get his teeth into an individual’s food preferences but it doesn’t stop them talking a lot of bull and relishing naked cow-trading. Thus, we have a wacky hodgepodge of cattle laws according to leaders’ political appetite. While some States have banned cow slaughter, others allow killing of old or sick cattle, several kill, ban or no ban and not a few require a “fit for slaughter” certificate.

Either which way, this doublespeak about revering your cow and eating beef too is not about the fate of the holy cow but accentuates a cynical food-fight sells and how! Saffron-robed Ministers, netas and swamis are recklessly playing the communal card. Politicising Hinduism to tailor to their ambitious needs and electoral gains where one man’s opium is another man’s poison.

Notably, cow protection has been a live political issue over the years. It was hotly debated by our founding fathers in the Constituent Assembly leading to cow protection being included as a Directive Principle of State policy. While Article 48 reads: “The State shall endeavour to organise agriculture and animal husbandry on modern and scientific lines and shall, in particular, take steps for preserving and improving the breeds and prohibiting the slaughter of cows and calves and other milch and draught cattle”.

However, the Directive Principle does not provide for a total nationwide legislative ban on cow slaughter, which the Hindu fundamentalists have been demanding for long. Several agitations have taken place since 1966 when Parliament was sought to be gheraoed, resulting in police firing and deaths.

A ban on the slaughter, eating and serving of certain types of animals and their meat is not uncommon across the globe. All Muslim-ruled countries have banned pork which, incidentally, is a lot more popular in India’s north-east than beef. Contrary to popular belief, beef is not so popular in Pakistan. Only the poor or very poor eat cow’s meat called “Burra gosht”, which is cheaper.  Importantly, no one in the Arab World has starved because of a ban on the eating of pork.

Clearly, the cow-beef debate marks a dangerous political trend of intolerance towards minorities and mob violence. If this trend goes unchecked society will get dangerously fragmented. With politics and polls only on their agenda, the polity must desist from playing with fire and instigate their vote bank. Alongside, the BJP must rein in its ‘fringe’ elements who feel emboldened with a majority Government at the Centre.

In the final analysis, any anti-cow slaughter legislation should neither be made a political issue or religious plank for power. Our leaders need to remember India was conceived as a democratic rather than majoritarian country wherein minorities have certain basic rights. This is the essence of being secular. It is about tolerating differences and not beating it to a pulp with a meaty bone. What gives? ----- INFA

(Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)