Political
Diary
New Delhi, 11 December 2018
Cow, Profitable Business
REAPING POLITICAL BENEFITS?
By Poonam I Kaushish
The drumbeaters are busy serenading the
victorious in the keenly fought five States polls, the losers sulk behind closed
doors amidst this “Gau mata” is once
again back in the forefront for our Hindutva brigade. A convenient political
tool to milk, rediscovering the holy cow’s brand equity as a profitable
political business!
Think. While patronage and ideological indoctrination is one reason for
the spiral of vicious violence, the vigilantes get away with murder as
leaders look the other way and justify any action taken to protect the cow,
even if it means taking the law into their hands resulting in the Government reaping
political capital by inciting communal passions. A win-win situation for both.
It was no different
last week when cow carcasses were found in UP’s
Bulandshahr and all hell broke loose when rogue cow vigilantes
patronised by the Bajrang Dal and the VHP went on a
rampage alleging illegal cow slaughter resulting in the death of two including
a police inspector. It is another matter that the inspector was the investigating officer in the Akhlaq lynching case of
2015 in UP’s Dadri wherein his family was accused of eating and storing
beef in their refrigerator. Pertinently, all the 17 suspects he had booked are
out on bail.
It is plausible that
the criminals were spurred to action after a brief lull because their brand of
poison seemed to have lost its potency in recent times, more so after the VHP’s
Dharm Sabha in Ayodhya failed to generate a groundswell for a temple which
worried the Sangh Parivar. Consequently, the focus on Gau Mata presently is not so much about the fate of the holy cow as
it is about cynical competitive politics.
Besides, with the
general elections a few months away trust our saffron-robed Ministers, netas, swamis to make “Gau mata”
the cause célèbre for milking in the
race for power at the Centre and recklessly play the communal card.
Politicising Hinduism to tailor to their ambitious needs and electoral gains
where one man’s opium is another man’s poison.
The BJP played its
Hindutva card wrapped in development that brought it power at the Centre and in
several States in recent electioneering and continues to do so while the Congress
is now trying to reposition itself to match the BJP’s Hindu plank for future
electoral battles. Of course, no neta wants
to get his hands dirty in the slugfest but it doesn’t stop them talking a lot
of bull and relishing naked cow-trading.
In the just concluded polls in five States it
was amusing to see both the BJP and Congress leaders outbid each other offering
the moon and stars including gau rakshak.
While the BJP promised a ministry dedicated to cow protection in Madhya
Pradesh, the Congress guaranteed to set up a gaushala in every panchayat.
In Rajasthan, the Hindutva Brigade vowed to set up a cow sanctuary and imposed
a 20% cow cess on liquor while its arch rival distanced itself from meo muslims
lest it be accused of pandering to minorities.
Undeniably, cow care and its protection have
often dominated politics owing to patronage from the BJP, which relies on Hindu
votes. Thus, over the years, it has pushed cow protection as an integral part
of its political agenda by including it in their manifesto to appease the
majority community.
Disconcertingly, the gau rakshaks have taken the cue from their political mai-baap BJP which is the driving force
behind the spread and hardening of cow rights legislation across the country.
Whereby, the cow lovers coo that the ban to protect the cow is justified and
should be seen as a legal offense and not religious. Adding, it would be nice
if the minorities respect the sentiments of the majority of Hindus who consider
cow slaughter as a sin.
Clearly, no lessons
had been learned in the last three years since cow vigilantism reared its ugly
head or remedial measures put in place post the public flogging of four Dalit
men in Gujarat’s Una town for allegedly killing the cow they were skinning and
forced them to eat cow dung in 2016 and lynching of a Rajasthan dairy farmer and
the lynching of young Junaid accused of carrying beef on a train in Ballabhgarh
last year.
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, several kill, ban
or no ban and not a few require a “fit for slaughter” certificate.
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.
As many as ten Private Member’s Bills have
been tabled in the Lok Sabha between 1985 and 2006. In 1979 the Janata Dal Government
tabled an official Bill and Indira Gandhi wrote to States to enforce a ban. Two
National Commissions studied the issue. But there is no Central Act.
True, the cow is sacred to Hindus and is
revered as Matrika. Every bit of the
cow is useful. Even its urine has miraculous medicinal value. Therefore, it has
a central place in religious rituals as well as free rein to roam in streets.
Over the years, a majority of States have passed controversial slaughter laws
which make killing local cows illegal.
Certainly, as blinkered, dogma-ridden debates
rage on about holy cows it 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, both communities have to learn to cohabit together and the BJP must
rein in its ‘fringe’ elements who feel emboldened with a majority Government at
the Centre.
In sum our leaders must learn to tolerate
differences and not beat everything in to a pulp with a meaty bone. In our
political quicksand the gau rashaks vs
the cow slayers underscore once again there is no sacred cow when it comes to
garnering votes and settling political scores. Whereby, the revered bovine
suddenly transformers into a political Kamdhenu.
Let us not reduce the cow to a religious plank, political ping-pong or poll
gimmick and profitable business! ---- INFA
(Copyright, India
News & Feature Alliance)
|