Congress worker’s act was most barbaric. There are better ways to resolve contentious issues
Regardless of the merits of the Union Government's decision to put a ban on the sale and purchase of cattle as well as its stand on cow slaughter, there can be no second opinion on the fact that the action of a Youth Congress worker in Kerala, who slaughtered a cow in the public, was most barbaric. Certainly, this act is a reaction to the Government's efforts to regulate the meat trade in the country, and many States have expressed their dissatisfaction at the Centre's pan-India ban on cattle trade. But none had expected that someone would indulge in such a brazen act of killing an animal in full public view, cook its meat and distribute it to the people during a ‘beef festival’ to gain political mileage. The act of protest backfired and failed to gain the desired political attention from the critics. Instead, the Opposition, including the Congress and the Communist Party of India, condemned the incident which also drew flak from animal rights activists. Truly, this is no way to agitate. Caught by surprise over his party worker’s conduct, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi described the act as “thoughtless, barbaric and completely unacceptable”. But what is more noteworthy is the silence of the secularists, who had raised vociferous protests over incidents at various universities across the country in recent months and also on the issue of cow vigilantes.
The Government's notification of the new rules governing the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, was introduced last week and it has received sharp criticism by various parties, States and also activists. They have had several arguments to make. While some raised a hue and cry about the implications of the move on the animal husbandry industry, leather trade, farmers etc, others argued that the Government had simply sought to restrict the livestock trade which will come as a major setback to the overall meat export business in the country. There are also others who have raised concerns over the cumbersome process that the farmers would have to go through for purchase of cattle under the new rule. While all these could be legitimate concerns, the Government has not refused to address them. It has, in fact, set a time-frame to address all contentious issues before taking a final call. After all, it is not possible for the new regulations to have the desired results without taking the States on board. There are State-specific subjects to be dealt with and the Government would have to take the States into confidence to best serve and protect the interests of all. Meanwhile, what has made matters worse is the contention of the left Front Government in Kerala, which has not only defended the Youth Congress worker's act, but has also threatened to use its exclusive powers to legislate its own rules. Such a move will be draconian as it will further give rise to friction between the State and the Centre. Matters can and should be resolved in a better way.