So low is the credibility of the Central government on matters with even a tinge of religion at play, that only the “saffron” section of society will accept at face value the new regulations on the sale of cattle at regular markets ~ animals intended for slaughter have to be bought elsewhere, from unspecified sources. The “explanations” from the environment ministry that the regulation is intended to prevent cruelty to animals (a claim endorsed by activist-minister Maneka Gandhi) is widely perceived as a surreptitious move to deny the consumption of bovine meat (beef or “buff”) to the Muslim and Christian communities. Any doubts on that score were eliminated by the timing of the new order: the eve of the Holy month of Ramzan. For all the reasons the government may seek to “present”, the fact that the new order comes in the wake of the Yogi Adityanath-directed crackdown on illegal abattoirs in UP (without any measures to augment authorised ones) will be seen as a concerted move to force the minorities to change their dietary habits. Had there been a genuine concern for animal welfare then both Mr Harsh Vardhan and Mrs Gandhi could “show the way” by having stray cows removed from garbage dumps in their city of New Delhi. Funny, the “lowly” buffalo is seldom seen foraging for food, until now. Maybe they too will join the ranks of abandoned bovines now that selling them for slaughter has become more complicated. Not to mention that the muchpampered gau rakshaks have been provided a licence to kill, maim, assault or rob people who have bought cattle, even for dairy purposes. True that the minorities alone are not impacted, bovine meat is widely consumed in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and the North-east, but since those regions have resisted the Modi-Shah brand of electoral “management” they have qualified for treatment similar to what is meted out to Muslims, Christians and Dalits. The reactions from those states has been severe, perhaps they will seek the legal redress that is hard to secure in an “emotioncharged” atmosphere.

That the state governments were not consulted on a matter which they believe falls within their Constitutionally-mandated domain, and once again Parliament has been by-passed testifies to the BJP-led administration being intoxicated by electoral successes. Slogans like sabka sath sabka vikas have hardly been intended for translation into reality. The economic implications for the alreadydistressed farm sector, the leather trade and industry, and some suggest even the dairy sector too have been sinisterly overlooked in the exercise to force consumers of bovine meat to “join the mainstream”. There is an element of immoral cowardice to the move: the government did not prohibit the eating of bovine meat, it brought its ban in through the backdoor.