The Hindu - Karnataka 12.08.2009
‘Cow slaughter ban is a tool to oppress Dalits’
Staff Reporter
‘The ban will affect workers in the leather industry’
Valmiki Ramayana has sanctioned beef eating: historian
Bangalore: The ban on cow slaughter proposed by the State Government is designed as a tool to target minority communities and Dalits, alleged political leaders, scholars and activists at a meeting convened by the Tipu Sultan United Front here on Tuesday.
In a country where 50 per cent of the population consumes beef, this ban that appeases sentiments of a numerically small upper caste Hindu community is unjust, said D. Manohar Chandra Prasad, Coordinator, Dalit Christian Federation, Karnataka.
The ban on cow slaughter will impact not just consumers of beef but also thousands of workers in the leather industry.
Historian N.V. Narasimaiah said the ban amounts to a violation of fundamental rights. Beef, he said, is an essential source of protein for thousands of people.
He said that with the fear of a food crisis looming large, a ban on beef and cow slaughter would deal a blow to nutrition intake. Quoting from old Indian texts, including Vatsayana Kamasutra and Valmiki Ramayana, Prof. Narasimaiah pointed out several references that sanctioned eating beef. “We are not opposed to the ban on the slaughter of cows — but why should the ban include all cattle?” he asked.
Prakash K., Bangalore district secretary of CPI(M), traced the changing perceptions about cows in India and how the animal came to be sacralised.
“The concept of a ‘Hindu nation’ is alien to the indigenous culture of India. Outfits like the RSS aim to create internal enemies by branding people as ‘anti-national’ for their cultural habits,” Mr. Prakash has said.
