Jaipur/Mumbai/Ahmedabad/Jammu : What began as a mere festive meat ban in Mira-Bhayandar for a couple of days to appease the local Jain community has snowballed into a media debate over food fascism.
The controversy acquired a national dimension with the proposed ban on the sale of meat and beef for the Jain festive period in Mumbai, Thane and Navi Mumbai
spreading to Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan and Gujarat, even as the Bombay High Court struck a discordant note by saying that such a blanket prohibition is not feasible in a metropolitan city.
In a circular issued to all municipal bodies, the Rajasthan government has asked meat shop vendors to cease the sale of meat and fish on September 17 in view of the ‘Paryushan’ (Jain fasting) festival and on September 18 on account of ‘Sanvatsari’ (another Jain festival), and September 27 on account of ‘Anant Chaturdashi’.
By an uncanny coincidence, in Jammu and Kashmir, the High Court has ordered a ban on sale of beef, in response to a Public Interest Litigation against cow slaughter.
The PIL had said that the practice of slaughter of bovine animals was in violation of law but has been allowed to continue unabated with the alleged connivance of authorities.
However, imposing the ban poses a problem for the PDP-BJP government since the PDP has never been against the sale of beef in the state. The court order has already elicited angry reactions from locals in the Valley and organisations like Jamaat-e-Islami and the separatist Hurriyat Conference. The move is expected to widen the wedge between Jammu and Valley.
In Gujarat’s main city Ahmedabad, Police Commissioner Shivanand Jha ordered a ban on slaughter of cattle like cows and goats for a week during the fasting period beginning from Thursday. The other day posters had appeared in Gujarat stating that the Quran frowns at beef eating and slaughter of cows. Obviously, more than just Jain sentiment has been at work in the state.
These developments evoked a strong reaction from the Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala who charged that instead of focussing on the problems faced by the people the BJP run governments are more keen on deciding as to what should be the food habits of the people. “They are fond of repeating the slogan of good governance, but then they raise such controversies to divert the people’s attention from their serious failures,” said Surjewala.
In Maharashtra more than 700 farmers have committed suicide, but instead of helping their distressed families the state government is busy with ideas like beef ban. “The same is true of Rajasthan,” he added while asserting that the Congress will oppose such Tughlaqian diktats.
