Making it clear that lynchings in the name of cow protection was unacceptable, the ruling Shiv Sena on Tuesday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to come out with a national policy on beef in the wake of violence and killings indulged in by gau rakshaks across the country.
In an editorial published in its official mouth-piece Saamana, the Sena took strong exception to the incidents of violence and lynchings unleashed by gau rakshaks and said, “Till yesterday, gau rakshaks were Hindu rakshaks. But today they have become murderers and bogus. We welcome the stern stand taken by the Prime Minister. No one has the right to take law into hands in the name of cow protection”.
“Mobs assaulting individuals in crowded places in a hysterical manner is in no way propagation of Hindutva. We are grateful to the Prime Minister that he has chosen to define Hindutva. In the same vein, we expect him to come out with a national policy on beef,” the Sena editorial stated.
“The issue of beef is all about eating habits, business and employment. The issue of protection of cow progeny is related to the whether one wants to increase the pressure on poor farmers. Hence, there should be a national policy over the issue,” the Sena said.
The Sena’s editorial comes on the heels of Modi’s statement in Sabarmati where he said last week, “Killing people in the name of ‘gau bhakti’ (cow worship) not acceptable. This is not something Mahatma Gandhi would approve of” and the unabated lynchings indulged in by the gau rakshaks.
Questioning the ruling BJP at Centre for its varied policies on beef in different States, the Sena editorial said, “BJP president Amit Shah’s statement that there were more number of lynchings during 2011, 2012 2013 of the previous UPA regime does not reduce the importance of ongoing lynchings under the current NDA Government. Shah has made this statement in the BJP-ruled Goa where there is no ban on the consumption of beef.... People have made it a habit to eat in States like Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and north-eastern States. The people would give up beef eating even if the BJP comes to power in these states. The BJP is in power in states like Arunachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir and Manipur where beef is a staple food”.
The Sena also took an indirect pot shot at Modi when it said, “The Prime Minister has rightly lashed out at gau rakshaks. But, are we not supposed to protect cows in the countryIJ What are we supposed to do with old and condemned cattle. The Prime Minister has not advised us on this”.