AIKS reply to RSS Chief
Banning cow slaughter impractical and will derail agrarian economy
Cattle breeders struggle to reopen cattle fair will be organized in BJP ruled states
Government must purchase cow giving market rate to farmers and keep them in cow shelter
RSS chief attempt is to divert attention from the Modi Government’s failure to resolve agrarian crisis
The view of RSS chief Mohan Bhagavath to bring law to prohibit cow slaughter across country is highly objectionable and in the long run will destroy the already crisis ridden agriculture especially petty production. It will have far reaching impact on environment and natural resources too.
The RSS view is against federalism. Imposing die- hard, narrow-minded ideology and feudal culture will break the unity of people of our multi-national- multi culture country. AIKS demands all political parties to express their view on the subject and let Parliament debate this serious issue that affects the agriculture and petty production extremely.
26% of the agrarian GDP comes from Animal Husbandry and 50% of the animal wealth is owned by small farmers holding below one hector land. In the pretext of banning cow slaughter, closing down cattle trade will affect around 30% annual income of the peasant households which are already under debt trap and committing suicide.
The peasants used to sell their unproductive female animals and grown up male animals, in the beginning of monsoon season, to find money for purchasing seed and fertilizers for cultivation and also support life expenses including health, education, wedding etc. prohibition of cow slaughter and imminent ban on cattle trade drives the already crisis ridden agriculture in to deeper crisis and intensify the grip of debt trap over peasant households.
As per experts view if prohibition on slaughter is effectively implemented all over the country then the number of cattle heads by 2027 will be 360 to 400 million from 180 million of 2012. That will put an enormous strain on the resources of the country and will bring havoc on our environment. It will lead to stray cattle menace like the serious issue of stray dog menace in many parts of the country now.
A cow gives milk from age 3 to 10 years but lives for 20 to 25 years. Let RSS chief explain how the farmer can afford to maintain unproductive animals till it die its natural death. And also let the RSS chief order his cadres make a survey to estimate the natural death of holy cow in RSS households including of Home Minister Rajnath Singhji who has the habit of cow keeping. Once a cow becomes unproductive, farmers used to sell it.
AIKS does not consider cow protection as an issue of religious belief or Hindu-Muslim or Hindu-Dalit conflict, but as an agrarian issue. The recent enactments by some of the state governments led by BJP on cow/buffalo protection virtually ban the cattle trade with dire consequences on rural agrarian economy. In Haryana, buffalo trade also has been banned under such an Act and farmers are unable to sell their animals.
The peasantry shall stand united in order to protect their traditional right on cattle trade. AIKS demands to ensure farmers right to cattle trade and reopen all cattle markets immediately which had been closed down by the BJP led state governments. AIKS demands to make provisions to obligate state governments that have enacted cow protection laws to purchase unproductive cattle by providing market rate to farmers. Likewise AIKS demands clauses to obligate state Governments to preserve all stray cattle in government shelters ensuring sufficient fodder, water and veterinary care at government expenses in order to protect farmer’s crops from devastation by stray cattle.
RSS has always been trying to use issue of cow protection to communally polarize the people for their petty communal and political ambitions. The Modi Government and the BJP led state governments are pathetically failing to resolve the agrarian crisis and betraying the peasants by not keeping the promise made in the 2014 Lok Sabha election manifesto to provide 50% addition to the cost of production as price of all agricultural produces. The peasant suicides have been increased by 265 under the last three years of Modi Raj. To divert the attention and to divide the peasantry the RSS chief is trying to rake up communal unrest by unleashing illegal armed vigilante groups remind of barbarism under Taliban or Islamic State and lynching innocent lives bringing complete anarchy and lawlessness in the country. All democratic forces have to unite and stand opposed to such reactionary forces.
Sd/-
Amra Ram, President
Hannan Mollah, General Secretary
New Delhi on 10th April, 2017
