Bovine Card

The saffron party is caught between its commitment to cow protection and the desire to extend its electoral footprint. 

- Kaushik Deka with Uday Mahurkar

On May 23, when the BJP-led NDA government issued a notification banning the sale of cattle for slaughter, three states erupted in protest: Kerala, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal. Though the ban includes cow, calf, bull, bullock, buffalo, heifer, steer and camel, the protests centred around the cow, as it is the protection of this animal that the saffron party is consumed with. And the prime mover of this new rule, according to sources, is BJP president Amit Shah, who has been unequivocal about his stand on cow slaughter. “One of the biggest challenges before India is how to save its cattle wealth from perishing,” Shah has told India today on numerous occasions. “If cattle wealth decreases, the prosperity of the farmer too decreases.”

The Sangh parivar has long advocated a ban on cow slaughter across the nation. However, it is also an integral part of the Modi government’s political and ideological plans for the future. As prime minister, Modi has not said much on the issue, but as Gujarat chief minister, he had made anti cow slaughter laws more stringent in the state. Though the new directive is not just about cows, the BJP is happy to see it becoming a debate about cow slaughter. With only 7.5 per cent of Indians eating beef, going by National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) data for the 68th round, the party does not see beef-eaters as an electoral threat. Cow slaughter is forbidden in 18 states. The BJP now aims to fulfill the RSS agenda of making it ban nationwide.