The attempt by a Hindu radical group to traverse the entire country to reinforce the ban on cow slaughter is fraught with untold consequences. The group travelled to Arunachal Pradesh but was met with stiff resistance there by the All Arunachal Pradesh Students’ Union (AAPSU). The AAPSU has made it clear that no one from outside the state can come to dictate their choice of food. In Nagaland, civil society groups have written to the State Government not to allow such groups to enter the State and spread their Hindutva agenda there. The Government too has decided not to give permission for such groups to spread their radical views which impinge on the eating habits of tribals. This group has declared upfront that it would engage in a country-wide campaign to elevate the cow to the status of “Rashtra Mata” or the mother of the nation and to move cow protection from the state list to the central list in the Constitution so that India becomes free of cow slaughter.
This move has far reaching consequences for the tribals of North East India whose main source of protein is beef and until a few years ago, beef was the cheapest meat. Its price shot up after the brouhaha over banning cow slaughter and much of the sale and transportation of cows became an underground activity since Assam has banned cow slaughter and all cows are transported via that state. The gau rakshak (cow protection) group is scheduled to have a mass awareness programme in Shillong on October 2 and it was supposed to have addressed a press conference at the Shillong Press Club on September 12 which for some reason did not materialise. Meanwhile the Thma U Rangli U Juki (TUR) a political group and the Hynniewtrep Youth Council (HYC) have threatened to have a beef party should the group come to Shillong on the assigned date.
The larger implications of such actions by a Hindu radical group is that the liberal space is closing in and people’s food choices are sought to be controlled by a majoritarian mandate. This is not what the minority tribals had signed up for when they made a pact with India through the Instrument of Accession. At the time they were assured that minority rights would be respected and their cultural ethos which includes their food habits would be sacrosanct. Since 2014, however the people of North East India are realising that they are gradually losing their rights over religion when Sunday is being violated and official meetings are scheduled on this day. And now comes the intrusion into their kitchens which is a sacred space. The North Eastern states have to make common cause on this matter if they are to resist further intrusions into the other aspects of their cultural moorings.
