Animals given chicken, mutton
New Delhi: Ban on slaughtering cows, bulls and bullocks in BJP- ruled Maharashtra has not only created disquiet in North East where beef is normally consumed but also affected an unexpected quarter – lions, tigers and leopards in Mumbai’s national park who are regularly fed such cheap but nutritious food.
Since there is a ban on slaughter of cows in Maharasthra the carnivorous animals are fed with chicken and mutton rather than their usual beef. But the supply is scarce and costly too, since there is already a shortage in the market for human consumption due to the ban.
The city’s main abattoir has been shut for the past two weeks and slaughter houses in Maharashtra are now refusing to slaughter buffalo in protest to the ban, cutting off all beef supplies in a bid to put pressure on the government.
However, Goa like the North Eastern states, where more people eat beef, has refused to ban cow slaughter.
Interestingly, late Prof G.G Swell, who was BJP-led opposition candidate for Presidentship against victorious Shankar Dayal Sharma, had opposed cow slaughter bill proposed during Vajpayee Government.
There are protests from others in North East too and Meghalaya’s former Governor, Ranjit Sekhar Mooshahary even had given a proposal to set up beef processing plants in North East which had argued that will provide food to the people and also reduce large scale cattle smuggling to neighbouring Bangladesh which is a major trans-border crime.
Maharashtra, the country’s second most populous state, extended a ban on the slaughter of cows to bulls and bullocks this month and other BJP-led states such as Jharkhand and Haryana have also tightened restrictions on trading beef. Critics say tougher anti-beef laws discriminate against Muslims, Christians and lower-caste Hindus who rely on the cheap meat for protein, and fear they could pave the way to a nationwide ban that would threaten thousands of jobs.
The supply of hides to tanneries across India would also be hit, pushing up prices. Tanneries buy and process animal hides and sell leather to makers of shoes, handbags and accessories.
India has some 300 million cattle, and animals foraging for food are a familiar sight on the rubbish-strewn streets of towns and villages.
Their numbers could swell by 200,000 in Maharashtra alone as farmers abandon animals they can’t sell, according to the beef trade.