The Karnataka state legislature recently passed the cow slaughter bill some sections of the society condemn it while others approve. The emotional sensationalism apart when I get down to thinking about it, there are some practical questions that I hope readers who support the bill could answer.

Is it socially acceptable in a democracy for the government to decide what citizens can and cannot eat? There are other practical factors too to consider…. In case our legislators didn’t know, cows don’t give milk perennially all their life, it involves a reproduction cycle for farm cows. When a cow reproduces there are chances that the calf can be bull or cow. So now what happens if the calf is a bull? A farmer today normally sells it to either the leather or meat industry. Once the law is in effect, these industries will cease to exist in Karnataka. So, is the farmer supposed to feed and maintain this bull too for no apparent reason? I am pretty sure that people who hail this as a very progressive bill have not been exposed to dynamics of raising cows on farms. Its not an easy and cheap affair. Raising cows require constant work gathering food for them, caring for their health and hygiene. These are tasks which take up a significant quantity of a farmers time.  So by passing the bill you will be putting unbearable burden on a farmer who ends up having to provide for these bulls too now that he has no place to sell them. I believe the follow through of this would be that farmers (poor as they are) will chose to let loose these bull calves and these are going to dot our streets (like stray dogs today) and cattle which feeds on human household wastes are prone to many diseases which could be passed on to healthy cattle and even humans. So, will the govt and legislators accept ownership for these cattle and take care of them? Will the groups which hail this move take bulls into their urban houses and protect them since this ‘Act’ is an ‘Act of undying love’ for them

Why not goats?? Goats give us milk too and in this case as any true farmer would tell you, goats milk is more nutritious than cows milk. So poor me; I’m wondering why there was no ban on Goat slaughter for meat purposes. I think our poor goats also need somebody to love them.

On similar lines though i wonder why poultry hens didn’t get their fare share of love. Are they children of a lesser God? They give us eggs too so why not pass and Act banning hen/cock slaughter too?

Another practical question raised in a newspaper was, what happens to animals in our zoos? I don’t know how ready the leopards, lions and tigers are willing to go on a rice-dal diet. I firmly hope though that the common man is truly impressed by this and ensures a second term for the ruling govt since it would be shame if the only purpose behind the legislation would not be fulfilled.

All said and done at this point my heart goes out for Hon’ble ‘ex’ minister Shashi Tharoor. The poor man had to endure so much censure from the opposition over his ‘cattle class’ remark when actually being ‘cattle class’ in India (in Karnataka atleast) is one honorable designation since we are really close to the heart of the government.

Well please feel free to ‘enlighten’ me if you have answers to any of my questions.

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Filed under: India politics happenings