BJP's 'no beef ban in Northeast' exposes its hypocrisy

Two years back, when Amit Shah visited the northeastern state of Meghalaya, the BJP president was greeted by a “beef party”. It was held right in front of the Raj Bhavan in Shillong as a mark of protest against the ruling BJP’s (at Centre) proposed ban on cow slaughter.

That was Shah’s maiden visit to Meghalaya, where those protesters voiced concerns over the dangers of "Hindu right wing" politics, and how a similar beef ban, if imposed in the Northeast, would render thousands of tribal people jobless besides hurting their religious sentiments.

They were also worried about the alleged atrocities perpetrated against Christians in the country and the blatant defence of “ghar wapsi” (religious conversion) by the BJP.

Since the cow slaughter ban and the recent crackdown on abattoirs unfolded in Yogi Adityanath's Uttar Pradesh, the fears have been renewed.

People in the northeastern states are once again worried if a similar ban will be imposed there too, once the saffron party comes to power, especially when Nagaland, Mizoram and Meghalaya are going to polls next year.

After making a remarkable foray into the Northeast — first winning the Assembly elections in Assam in 2016, a "back-door entry" in Arunachal Pradesh, and forming a government in alliance with smaller parties in Manipur in March 2017 — Shah and his lieutenants are looking to repeat the successes in the three states.

In Nagaland, the Naga People’s Party (NPF) — which is a BJP ally in the NDA — is in power.

The BJP is particularly confident of winning Mizoram and Meghalaya with the help of regional allies against the Congress, which will be fighting anti-incumbency.

Until the BJP stomped into Assam, political battles in the Northeast were mainly between the Congress and the regional parties. But the socio-political scenario has changed now.

Notwithstanding the political equations, the common man is suddenly worried about domination of Hindu politics and imposition of a culture that’s framed within a Hindutva-defined national identity.

Trying to allay fears of the northeastern states, the party has categorically said that no such ban would be imposed in the three northeastern states.

The BJP Meghalaya unit general secretary, David Kharsati, was forced to issue a statement on March 26, in which he blamed “groups with vested interest” of spreading rumours.

In Nagaland, party chief Visasolie Lhoungu said: “Ban on cow slaughter like the one in UP won’t take effect in Nagaland if our party comes to power next year.”

The reality here, he was quoted as saying by the Hindustan Times, is very different and our central leaders are aware of that.

In Christian-majority Meghalaya, Mizoram and Nagaland, beef is a staple food and the crackdown against “illegal” abattoirs in UP has had obvious repercussions in these states as well.

And to some extent the fears are genuine. What is the guarantee that if the BJP comes to power it won’t make a UP out of the Northeast?

What makes the BJP say that the "reality in Northeast is very different…" where there is a majority Christian population?

Is it trying to say that the Northeast in reality is not part of mainland India?

If the official reason for BJP’s crackdown in Uttar Pradesh is illegal slaughterhouses and smuggling of cattle, is the party unaware of the fact that the Northeast in the recent years has actually turned into a hotspot for illegal cattle trade?

Everyone knows cattle smuggling on the India-Bangladesh border through Assam is rampant.

Then why does the BJP think laws should be different for different states and the people of different religions?

In reality, trying to allay fears of the people in the Northeast, the BJP has exposed the fault line in its Hindutva project in Uttar Pradesh.

Why does the ban on cow slaughter and “illegal abattoirs” increasingly seem more like a crackdown on one community?

Also read: How cow commandos are turning India into America

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