Gurbani Summary 7

Kanchan Ilaiah in his article tries to bring our attention to a topic that is always sidelined intentionally or unintentionally when we talk about Dalit rights. He says consumption of beef is a democratic right as it is not only a cultural practice within the Muslim community but also within the Dalit and many Adivasi communities. He says that we have been conditioned into thinking that it is okay to consume beef inside the four walls but not in open space, which has led to beef not being served in any public function. Why is that the public space in India only represents the culture and the beliefs of the hegemonic upper class even though they are a numeric minority? And why does practising their cultural in open leads to violence? 

He brings our attention to the time when our constitution was being drafted. The right-wing wanted to give fundamental rights to the cow but it was Baba Saheb who through the Vedic literature demolished this claim. He traced the idea of consuming beef past the Muslim roots and into the Vedic times when cows and bulls were sacrificed to the Gods. This animal was then distributed and eaten by humans. Earlier the cow was sanctified and thus sacrificed to the gods but now that same sacredness has become a reason for it to be protected. In the constitution, under Article 48 the cow has been given some sort of protection. This though non-justiciable is still open for states to legislate upon. This has further led for some states like UP and Bihar to ban the trade of beef entirely.

He says that by banning the trade of beef the state is only being legally castist with the aid of the courts and that they are criminalizing and marginalizing the already isolated communities i.e. the Muslims and the Dalits. Vegetarianism should not be forcefully enforced on the people especially not when the intention is to make people conform to the beliefs of one community. There should only be two concerns to ban meat of any sort – environmental and animal cruelty. The ones working so hard to ban the consumption of beef on the pretext of it being morally wrong should do the same for the consumption of any meat and as far as environmental issue is concerned the beef economy is not like the one in the west and thus it is not really a genuine concern in India.

Beef is still available in certain parts of the country. Before regulating the cattle trade the government should have the disastrous effect it will affect on the people involved in the trade and those who sustain themselves by its consumption, as it is a cheap source of protein for the poor. It's not just one party to blame for catering to the whims of the Hindu right. Although systemic violence against the Muslims and Dalits in the same of “gau raksha” has skyrocketed under the BJP governance the Congress is no less. The matter is politicized for votes. India is the worlds third-largest exporter of beef both companies are own by Punjabi Khatris and a Muslim partner. The regulation of cattle trade and the ban on consumption of beef is not economically viable and even worse for the democratic health of India.