By Insaf
Holy Cow! The Centre has made a mis-steak. Governments of Kerala, West Bengal, Karnataka, Puducherry and Tripura are all set to block it from looking for greener pastures, its Hindu vote bank. High Courts are in a tizzy and have given cownter decisions. IIT Chennai students in Tamil Nadu are livid over attempts to change their food habits, beef or no beef. Indeed, the notification banning sale of cattle for slaughter through livestock markets and animal is a no-go. Chief Ministers Pinarayi Vijayan, Mamata Banerjee, K Siddaramiah, V Narayanswamy and Manik Sarkar have called it ‘undemocratic’, ‘unconstitutional’, ‘violation of the spirit of federalism’ as it’s a State issue, ‘anti-people’, etc. And, they will not implement the order. Rightly so, for how does the Modi government propose to deal with the notification hitting hard the cattle farmers, those employed in dairy and leather business, among others? More job losses cannot be an agenda in furtherance of the Hindutva one. And, what about the North East, where beef is traditional food and simmering within the BJP allies have already begun? The backlash should force the Modi government to retract. Its argument that the regulation is to protect animals from cruelty is udderly ridiculous. Sooner it makes amends, the better. Well, certainly before it has egg, rather in this case, cow dung on its face!
What it could or may do is to use the Kerala High Court’s ruling to bail it out of this awkward situation, rather than worry about the Madras High Court stay order on its notification. A division bench on Wednesday last, observed there was no constitutional violation in the Centre’s order. In fact, it felt its interference was uncalled for and dismissed as withdrawn a PIL challenging the order. Elaborating, it stated that the order did not impose any restriction on the sale of beef or slaughter of cattle and that the restrictions were on sale of cattle used for agriculture purpose at animal markets. No one was being prevented from buying or selling cattle outside the market. This was stark opposite to the Madras High Court’s reading of the notification. Its Madurai bench had a day earlier, granted a four-week stay on a petition challenging it on grounds that the legislature hadn’t categorised animal slaughter for purpose of food as an act of cruelty. Here, the bench noted the subject was under concurrent list and questioned how the Centre could arbitrarily take the decision before bringing it to the notice of the State government. While the two slug it out, more cases could add to the confusion.
Rajasthan HC’s Bizarre Logic
Rajasthan High Court should make the judiciary, Centre and State governments cringe. On his day of retirement, its judge suggested the cow be declared as country’s national animal! Like the national bird, the peacock which according to the judge “is a life-long celibate. It doesn’t indulge in sex with peahen. It gets impregnated with the peacock’s tears.” Justice MC Sharma also asked Raje Government to amend the Bovine Animal Act to raise punishment for cow slaughter to life sentence. His justification for the bizarre order of 139 pages was the Vedas, which “say those who kill cows should be massacred”. This order dealt not with the Centre’s notification but with an NGO’s writ petition in 2010 over reported corruption in a State-run Gaushala where many cows had died. The judge quoted chapter and verse from Vedas and even research on healing powers of cows: it exhales oxygen, its urine destroys germs, stops ageing, its ghee prevents disease et al. Any logic for Centre to do away with the Bengal Tiger? Or rather, it should reflect on the calibre of the nation’s judges?
Delhi’s AAP Intolerant
The intolerance bug has bitten the AAP in Delhi. The Assembly got a taste of its muscle power and that dissent has no place here. Its rebel leader and former minister Kapil Mishra, who has hit headlines with his charges of corruption against mentor and Chief Minister Kejriwal was gagged, manhandled by some party MLAs and ordered to be dragged out of the House by marshals, on Wednesday last. This after he wasn’t allowed to speak and thus chose to raise a banner demanding “a special Assembly be called at Ramlila Maidan to discuss corruption, havala dealings, black money, foreign trips, and benefitting relatives by Kejriwal and Minister Satyendar Jain.” Recall Ramlila Maidan was the launching pad for Kejriwal during Anna Hazare’s anti-corruption movement in the Capital. Then and now is a sorry state of affairs within the party. With the CBI grilling Jain, time will tell how many will eventually have to hang their heads in shame.
Punjab’s Drugs Challenge
Is there hope for Udta Punjab? The Congress Government looks helpless yet is determined to rid the State of the drug menace. Obviously, the State machinery has failed miserably. Thus, Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has decided to reach out to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) to help develop a roadmap to root out drug abuse in the State, one of the promises in the manifesto. While the previous SAD-BJP government claimed the issue was blown out of proportion by the Opposition, the Union Social Welfare Ministry statistics show the numbers were over three times as much as the corresponding all-India figures (three million) for all types of drug dependents. The quarrel is now behind and it is time to act. The Special Task Force is gearing up. But while it is banking on its three-pronged strategy which involves law enforcement to control supply, preventive action at the district level and rehabilitation, the UN agency has a plan. It suggests engaging mothers as it had proved successful in other countries. Whether it will work in Punjab, is anybody’s guess. —INFA