Elections 2019 | With NSA in tow, the Holy Cow returns to MP's political terrain

Bhopal: The Holy Cow is returning to the political minefields of central India.

And this time, it is a Congress-led government which is drawing flak for incidents related to cow vigilantism.

After the Narendra Modi government assumed power in 2014, there have been widespread incidents of cow vigilantism, especially in the northern parts of the country, or the cow belt.

Modi's detractors, including the Congress, had blamed it on the tacit support extended by Hindu right-wing groups, which have been emboldened by the the BJP's ascension to power.

Politics of Malwa

Malwa region in Madhya Pradesh is considered a nerve centre of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in the state.

The region saw a spate of crimes in the name of smuggling of cows and cow vigilantism after the Kamal Nath government took over last December. The Congress wrested power in the state after a gap of 15 years, a period in which the BJP ruled the state.

The Congress had made significant gains in Malwa in the assembly polls held in November 2018.

Its tally in the previous (2013) polls in the region, which accounts for 65 seats, was a mere nine. In last year's assembly elections, the Congress managed to increase its count in Malwa nearly four-fold to 35 seats, a key factor which propelled the party to power.

The BJP's tally dropped to 28 in this assembly, from 43 in the previous assembly.

The 2014 Lok Sabha polls too was a dismal outing for the Congress. It managed to win just a seat out of the eight from Malwa.

Fresh incidents

After the Congress assumed power, Malwa witnessed a spate of events related to cow vigilantism and smuggling of cows.

It all began as a local tiff in Khandwa district, considered a communal flashpoint.

Acting on a tip-off, police arrested three people and recovered a cow carcass from the area.

Just two days after the incident, law enforcement authorities in Agar Malwa district arrested two people for smuggling cows.

The Kamal Nath government drew flak for invoking the National Security Act (NSA) in such cases while police and the administration looked elsewhere as cow vigilantes go on a rampage.

A series of similar incidents were reported from the districts of Ujjain, Agar Malwa and Guna, which borders Rajgarh in Malwa region.

Allies fume

Cow vigilantes stopping trucks transporting cattle alleging cruel treatment of cattle was the predominant narrative that unfolded before the ensuing violence. But invoking NSA for such offences, especially against those who transported cattle, has not gone down well with the Congress' allies.

Bahujan Samajwadi Party (BSP) minced no words and compared the Congress government in Madhya Pradesh to the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh.

The BSP's sharp reaction is a cause of concern for the Kamal Nath government as it requires support of all anti-BJP forces to stay in power.

The Congress fell two short of majority in the assembly polls and eventually gained power with support of the BSP, independents and other small parties.

The Left parties also expressed dismay at the Nath government's move to invoke the NSA.

“Fighting the BJP is one thing. How can they justify such actions? Rahul Gandhi must explain what his party's governments are up to,” D Raja, CPI national secretary, said.

Opposition within

Even within the Congress, the move to slap the NSA has not gone down well.

Former Madhya Pradesh chief minister and senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh disowned the move terming it as unnecessary.

“The district administration invokes the NSA to maintain law and order. Police decide which sections in law to invoke. But in these cases, I personally believe, invoking the NSA doesn't make sense,” Singh said in Mandsaur.

Singh is not alone.

“If the government is taking action on cow slaughter, it must act against cow vigilantes as well, who also create disturbances,” Congress MLA from Bhopal South West Arif Masood said.

The criticisms had some impact.

“The government has issued instructions to police to act sternly against those involved in violent activities and hooliganism in the name of saving cows,” Chief Minister Kamal Nath said after chairing a high-level meeting on Gau Shala Bill at the Mantralaya.

Opening of gau shalas or cow shelters is a campaign promise of the Congress, which validates parallels drawn between Congress and BJP governments by BSP chief Mayawati.

The Nath government also came out with a justification for invoking NSA. Home Minister Bala Bachchan said NSA had been invoked against those who had several cases registered against them. “The government will not tolerate any disruption of law and order,” he declared.

For the saffron camp, though, the Nath government's move is akin to a validation of their stance.

BJP Hazur (Bhopal) MLA Rameshwar Sharma said invoking the NSA will check disturbance in the area. “Those who are opposing the decision are trying to save criminals,” he said.

Officially, no one has been killed in Madhya Pradesh in violence related to cow slaughtering or smuggling.

According to data analytics site India Spend, 45 people were killed in 120 cases of cow-related violence reported across the country between 2012-2018.

Slaughter of law

Cow slaughter is illegal in many states and penalties range from six months to five years in prison. Cruelty to cattle is outlawed across the country.

The most outrageous case of cow vigilantism was reported from north-western state of Rajasthan. Pehlu Khan, hailing from Haryana, was fatally assaulted by a vigilante mob on April 1, 2017. The incident sparked a national outrage.

In May the same year, the Modi government banned the trade of cattle for slaughter, a move many saw as a step to squeeze a section of people who benefited from beef and leather industry.

The Supreme Court later intervened to lift the ban on trade of buffalo for slaughter.

Beef is a favourite delicacy in most North Eastern states and many southern Indian states, but is mostly abhorred as a dish in the northern belt.

Cow is considered sacred by devout Hindus.

The Modi government's move to control cattle trade led to vehement protests in Kerala, where the ruling Left Democratic Front's feeder organisations organised beef festivals. The BJP's state unit was muted in its criticism as beef is a popular delicacy in the state cutting across religious communities.

So, the politics of Holy Cow is nothing new to the country.

The MP government's move to invoke NSA on seemingly minor cases related to cattle trade suggests that the Holy Cow will occupy centre stage in the country's political domain as a general election looms in the horizon.

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